Honor Bound
by The ORIGINAL Corky
Summary: How can I fulfill a dying man’s wish to protect his wife and children when his wife will have nothing to do with me? As a ninja I am honor bound to fulfill this promise, as a 32 yearold turtle though…I’d rather have my shell ripped off. :Leo Romance:
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Ah yes, the ever fun disclaimer. I don't own Leo or any of the other turtles. I do however own all the wives and children and the mobsters. And believe it or not, the mobsters hold a very dear place in my heart so don't steal them, ok? I love my mobsters.**

**Author's Note: "Back so soon?" You think? Well...yes indeed I am back. The mob has spoken and the winner is "Honor Bound". However...I've decided something since one of you mentioned this isn't exactly fair to Raph and Don since I haven't written their stories yet, and another asked if it'd be too weird to post both this one and "Dark Shadow" at the same time...what I'm going to do is write this one and post it. Then start work on "Dark Shadow", but what I'll do with that is, spend a couple weeks or so working on "DS" and then a couple weeks on either Raph or Don's stories. It's gonna take me longer to get them finished that way, but, at least then once I've got "DS" done and who ever I pick for the other, I'll have only one left. But please don't think once I've finished these that this is the end of my little world. I don't think it will be. I think I may write some stories revolving around the kids later on. Anyways, hope you enjoy what I've gotten done so far and please be gentle, I'm writing with a majorly painful ear infection and writing for Leo has never been my strong point. But I'm doing the best I can. And without further adiu...Honor Bound.**

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Chapter One: Meeting With the Mob

::Leo's POV::

The streets of New York can be a vicious and cruel place to have to reside, not only for the adults who had been cast out upon them for whatever reason there may be—drugs, alcohol, disabilities, or hundreds of other reasons—but also for the children who have no family to care for them and fall into the wrong crowds. My brothers and I have known and helped our own fair share of such kids, but yet I still can't help patrolling these well known areas in hopes of finding one particular child. It's hard to believe little Naomi would already be seven years old.

Naomi Masterson, I can't help but sigh helplessly whenever I hear one of the family members quietly mention her name when Gwen is out of the room. Though neither she nor Mike had the chance to meet their stolen daughter, they both felt slightly better at giving her a name in the hopes that some day we would find her and bring her home. I must admit though, I'm not sure how well Naomi would handle it if she were suddenly forced to live underground when all her life—that we think—has been spent above ground. Truth be told, and I'm not the only one to think this, we don't even know if she survived that horrible ordeal all those years ago or not.

In the seven years that have passed however, our once small clan has certainly expanded quite a bit. Nearly a year after Gwen returned home Raphael actually married Angela which was rather a surprise for everyone—especially since five months later we were greeted with our first nephew Cassidy. We all prefer to call him Casey though and I must say for a six year old, he certainly is an awful lot like his honorary uncle. Of course, then again, his younger brother Chris who just turned four can be just as stubborn and hard headed as his father—certainly makes me glad he's Raph's to deal with and not mine.

Amazingly enough, a little over five year ago—and after a mild though sometimes nerve racking nine months—Michelangelo and Gwen actually had a set of twins. They're rather cute…as long as they're sleeping. I do feel bad for Gwen, don't get me wrong; and after everything she'd gone through with Naomi, she had every reason to be paranoid. Natural instincts to hope for the best but expect the worst. Chip and Tabitha—or Tabby—are quite the pair. And little Dale who is hardly a year old is a character just as Mike was as a kid.

The last of our expanding clan came when Donatello and Julie got married. I suppose their marriage was as least surprising as Mike and Gwen's. In the short time we'd gotten to know Julie, it was obvious to see how much the two cared for each other and how lost our brother was when she and Doogie would go back topside. Three years ago Delaney entered the picture and I can honestly say I've never seen Donnie look so proud.

Even though our family has grown through the years, and my brothers all have families of their own to keep them busy, those of us associated with the disappearance of Naomi have not forgotten the fear and worry of it all. Nor have we forgotten our vow to find her no matter how long it takes. Which is why, every night, I comb the streets and alleys for any clues leading to the whereabouts of Usagi Higgins and his notorious henchmen.

I don't mind being the only one of our family still 'single'. A ninja has no room for romance in his life and if I'm to one day take the place of our Sensei, then I certainly am in no hurry to go out looking for someone to share my bed with. Besides, though I love my nieces and nephews and would not hesitate in the least to kill anyone who tried to hurt them, I am in an even less of a hurry to have children of my own.

Jumping from the perch I had found atop the Second City Bank, I made my way further down 5th Ave heading towards Central Park. It was a warm, clear night, though from the streets a person wouldn't know the difference, and I found it was on nights such as this that the trouble makers were out en masse. Tonight was no different. As I continued my patrolling, I was alerted to what at the time sounded like gang activity. There are many things I have little or no tolerance for; gang activity is one of them.

Turning down a side alley, I followed the noise until I came upon a group of very well dressed men. Stopping short, I was slightly unprepared to see four or five grown men who were all dressed as proper businessmen gathered around another. No matter, they were up to no good, and four against one weren't such bad odds, I'd certainly had worse. Unsheathing my katanas I narrowed my eyes and stepped into the shadows near by.

"Whaddya wanna do to 'im, Tony? Huh? Can we kill 'im yet? Huh? Huh? Can we? Da boss said ta kill 'im…can I?" The shortest man asked to the tallest. I narrowed my eyes to get a better look at them and felt my blood run cold as the tallest looked down at his companion.

"Mickey! Shut your can, will ya? Joseph and Mary ya tawk more den my muddah." Tony "The Runt" Capony grumbled. If my memory served me right, then these four were none other than the Albert Calavicci gang. They were the only undercover mob gang still in operation in this part of the city; and tonight was my lucky night to finally meet up with them. I had heard out of all the remaining gang members only two had names fitting of their personalities and I saw for myself that this was certainly the case.

Mickey "Mouse" Monroe was only at best, four foot eleven and certainly sounded and acted like a mouse. From what I was observing of him, his eyes, ears, and nose were constantly twitching as he fidgeted from one foot to the other and back again. Drawing my own conclusions I figured he was probably the most excitable and easiest to scare out of the group, and his high pitched voice was enough to make me cringe.

Tony "The Runt" Capony on the other hand was a giant of a man; I knew then he was going to be a little harder to scare off. Towering a good six foot seven, he looked like a Frankenstein's Monster reject with his flat head and oversized shoulders. His fist alone was more than likely the size of my head. I couldn't help but smirk though when I saw the leg brace around his right leg. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

To the right of Tony was another man with a constant scowl on his face. I hadn't heard him say much and judging from the profound scare on his throat lead me to believe him to be Joseph "Joey the Rat" Giovanni. The story behind him is, supposedly when he was a younger man he'd been attacked by a wild dog and had his vocal chords torn from his throat. Now having seen the scars, I'm more likely to believe such stories. If I were to take any of them out, he would probably have to be second to go…following closely behind Mickey.

On the left side of Mickey stood a man I'd only seen possibly two or three times. I was unsure of his name at the time; though I was sure there'd be no time for introductions once I made my move. He stood about the same height as the man in the middle of the circle which was probably around five foot eight or so. His black hair was slicked back and he merely stood there watching with his arms crossed over his chest.

"If you're going to kill me, then get it done and over with." The man in the middle stated, looking none too impressed with his attackers. I had to give him credit; a lesser man would be shaking in his Armani suite and trying to hand the gang members his wallet. I, however, was growing tired of all the chit-chat and wanted nothing more than to send them packing and get back out on patrol. It was as I saw Joey reach into his coat pocket for his gun that I decided to make my presence known.

"I'd advise dropping your weapons and backing off if I were you four." As they turned to face me, I spun around quickly and kicked the gun from Joey's hand. No sense in giving him any opportunity to shoot me. For a moment, they all looked just as surprised as Joey did that I had the nerve to first order them around and then to personally disarm a member. Not even the authorities were that crazy.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mickey pull a chain from his pocket. One thing about it, these gangsters had seen one too many movies and were for some reason stuck in the 1920's and 30's. Inwardly rolling my eyes, I struck out with a katana just as the chain came at me. Whipping it around and out of the shorter man's hands, I watched with mild amusement as fear crept into his beady little eyes. Two down, two to go.

I quickly turned my attention back to the remaining two. The one whose name I still didn't know was keeping a safe distance from me, which showed me he wasn't as dumb as his friends. Tony on the other hand, came at me like a bulldozer. Caught slightly off guard, I barely had time to dodge his wrecking ball fists as they came hurtling towards my head. Quickly spinning out of the way, I lowered myself into a half crouch and spun my leg out in a slide kick. I felt my foot connect with the plastic brace just below the knee. Tony let out a cry that thundered off the alley walls as his legs buckled and he fell to the hard asphalt.

Righting myself once more, I narrowed my eyes at the others and once again drew my katanas from their sheath. A light from above glimmered on the blades and I saw the look of panic in the three remaining men's eyes as they glanced from me to their fallen comrade and back again. Without a word, Mickey quickly ran to help Tony back to his feet while Joey and the unknown man scooted past me and hurried from the alley. Smirking to myself as I watched them leave, I put my katanas back into their sheaths and looked at the single remaining person.

The man still standing bore a slight resemblance to the one gangster with no name which made me wonder if perhaps there was some relation between them. One thing to strike my interest though, was the fact that this person didn't run at the sight of me, or start yelling for me to take what I want and get away from him. Something told me this man had seen far more frightening things than me—which in all honestly almost scared _me…_almost.

"You shouldn't have bothered yourself by helping me."

I raised an eye ridge and took a step closer. "Yeah well, I've made it a habit to bother myself and help people."

It was clear this man trusted me about as much as I trusted him, which wasn't very much. One of the things I've learned in my training though, is how to judge when a person means you harm, and when they're just being protective of themselves. It was clear this person meant me no harm, but would still try to cut me down if I were to advance on them. I watched him closely for a moment before a small smile broke on his face. I do admit it confused me just a bit.

"Well then, thanks are in order. My name is Edward Young. And you are…" Squaring my shoulders absentmindedly, I extended my hand to take his in a friendly shake.

"Leonardo."

"Leonardo, it's a pleasure to meet you. And I must say, I am thankful you happened by. Another few moments and Joey would have shot me dead where I stand."

Perhaps I am just a curious as Mikey, or maybe it's just my natural instinct to know why a person is being hunted by the mob, either way, I felt myself compelled to question him about it.

"Do you mind explaining what that was all about?" I questioned. I saw the indecision in his eyes and knew there was probably more to what had happened than he wanted to share. Thinking for a moment though, He finally nodded and waved for me to follow him.

"I'll explain it on my way home. You don't mind playing bodyguard for a few minutes while I explain do you?"

I shrugged and slowly followed him down the alley. I don't normally play bodyguard when I know I have more patrolling to do, but I had the feeling if I wanted answers then the only way I was going to get them was by following him.

"I only live about four blocks from here, shouldn't take us too long. As I said, my name is Edward Young…formally known as Eddie the Gun Young. Those men you chased off were some of my former…associates you might say. We all ran in the same gang. Now your question was why they were after me, correct?"

I nodded silently as I waited for the rest of the story.

"A little over five years ago now, I decided I wanted out of the mob scene. I'd married a very beautiful young lady a few years prior and we were about to have our first child. I knew if I were a gangster that I wouldn't live long enough to see our child grow up. So, I told the Wind that I wanted out. Heh…I should have learned a long time ago, you can leave the mob, but the mob will never leave you. Two broke limbs and a concussion later I was released from their iron fists. Since then I've gone straight. I finished my business degree and am a very prominent banker. Those men you chased off tonight however seem to think that because I used to be one of them that they could bribe me into helping them rob my bank. Since I refused, their boss said to have me killed. The rest, well, I'm sure you saw what was about to happen."

Edward seemed content in telling me his story, and I must say, as we continued walking and talking, I was quite interested in what he had to say. He told me about his wife Ying-Su, who was everything in the world to him and was one of the main reasons for him to turn his life around. Ok, so I admit, I did think it a rather nice idea that a person with a bad history could find someone they loved so much that they turned their life completely around so that they could be with them. He also told me of his three children: Elizabeth who was five was also the light of his life. From the way he talked, it sounded as if she were his shadow around the house. His other two children, Henry and George were twins and had just turned one the day before. Having a set of twins for my niece and nephew, I did not envy Edward in the least.

As we neared his uptown building, I felt the need to make sure that Edward continued to have protection so that he wouldn't have to miss seeing his children grow up. It isn't usually like me to extend a helping hand like that to some one who could potentially harm my family or me, but for some reason, I couldn't help it. It was as if a greater force was telling me it was the right thing to do. And so I offered my help and protection to Edward should he ever need it.

Besides, what's the worst that could possibly happen?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Ok well...here's chapter two for your reading enjoyment! 0) So...read and enjoy!**

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Chapter Two: Dishonorable Death

::One Year Later::

It had been one year since Leo had saved Edward's life, and since then he had been there four more times to do it again. He had even gone so far as to silently stand guard for any kind of celebration they might have the Edward's former "associates" might try to crash. Leo had been there, hiding in the shadows outside their home, when Elizabeth turned six. He saw from his perch the day the twins turned two. He even from time to time acted as a second babysitter when Edward would take Ying-Su for a night on the town.

Little did Leonardo know, however, that Edward had signed his own death certificate when he agreed to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation bring down his former boss, and mobster king pin, Albert "The Wind" Calavicci. The FBI had promised to supply Edward and his family with protection until Calavicci was brought to justice, though no one knew that the notorious mob king had plans of his own for Edward and his family.

The sky was dark and gloomy that evening as Edward stood in the dank alley near the Brooklyn Bridge waiting for his brother to finally arrive. Edward still hated himself for dragging his little brother into the mob business. He could still see the look on his grandmother's face as she crossed herself and spat upon both their feet.

"_I did not raise you boys to become criminals! Edward, you were going to be a banker. All your life all you spoke of was money and banking. And Junior! You were an alter boy! You wanted to join the seminary! Your dear sweet mother—my only daughter—and your father, God rest their souls, are turning in their graves!"_

"_Grimma, relax! We're not criminals." Edward had said, placing his hand on his beloved grandmother's shoulder. The eighty years plus woman glared at her twenty year old grandson and his eighteen year old brother. She had been raising them on her own since they were children and it broke her heart to know that she had somehow failed with them._

"_Don't tell me to relax, Edward! If my Hans were still alive he'd box both your ears in. Where did I go wrong you boys? Where? Do you want to send me to my grave already?"_

"_Grimma! Of course we don't." John Junior answered, his hair slicked back just like his brothers. _

"_You must if you've joined with that monster of a man, Albert. I wash my hands of you both. Get your things and get out of my house. I'll not have gangster living in my home."_

The brothers had tried to argue with their grandmother, but the German woman wanted nothing to do with them. Once they had gathered what few belongings they still had, they left their comfy Brooklyn home never to see their grandma alive again. They had heard, shortly after her funereal, that she had suffered from a massive heart attack after seeing their faces on the news connecting them to a murder in Queens.

Edward hated the fact that he and his brother Johnny really had sent their last remaining relative to their grave. It was bad enough they had had to watch their parents be lowered into the earth after they'd both been shot in a mugging—probably done by some of The Wind's men now that he really thought about it—he didn't want to have to bury anyone else.

"You wanted to see me, Eddie?" Edward turned when he heard the voice behind him and looked into the hauntingly familiar brown eyes of his brother.

"Yeah Johnny…we gotta talk."

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Leo smiled slightly to himself as he stood atop an apartment building over looking the river. True the darkening sky held the promise of rain, but to Leo, it was a beautiful evening. He had to admit it sure did bet staying down in the lair listening to his nieces and nephews argue and fuss.

His youngest niece, Delaney, had been crying and fussing all week because of an ear infection that didn't seem to want to go away. Don, with the help of their friend and personal vet/physician Greggory Markus, had been doing his best to help ease her pain and keep her as comfortable as he could. Greggory proved to be a great ally when it came to getting them the medical supplies they might need for whatever reason, and since he was in fact a great animal lover, he had no problem acting as their doctor when one of the kids got sick.

Then he had to deal with the "Terror Twins of NYC" as Casey Jones had grown to call them. Chris and Chip—though Chip was almost a full year older than Chris—had grown to be quite the team when it came to getting into trouble. If it wasn't trying to find new ways to sneak into the sewers to explore, it was seeing who could get closest to the weapons room without being caught first. Or their favorite game, "Make the Girls Cry". With Delaney being sick, she was an easy enough target for them. All they really had to do was sneak up behind her and yell "Boo!" to watch her burst into tears and try to shrink herself down into her tiny shell.

Of course he also had to put up with the antics of the remaining children as well. Tabitha, who discovered the joys and wonders of crayons and finger paints, had taken a liking to try and color in the hand painted Japanese art work their Sensei had done many years before and were hanging in the dojo and living room. She also had become quite fond of singing the theme to "Kim Possible" over…and over…and over again, usually at the top of her lungs. The little girl couldn't carry a tune in a bucket if it had a handle, but she certainly did love to sing.

His nephew Casey had taken a great interest in sports, just as his father and honorary uncle had. Unfortunately, since they weren't allowed outside, Casey had to explore his new found interest inside. It's amazing how many things baseballs and soccer balls could bounce off of before hitting something breakable or knock an unsuspecting uncle down the stairs. Leo rubbed the back of his still throbbing head painfully as he sighed.

To him, it seemed the only one _not_ causing much trouble was Dale. Of course being two years old and practically attached at his fathers' hip, he didn't have much of a chance _to_ get in trouble. The most trouble that little boy had gotten into so far, was he had a knack for closing things on people…doors, drawers, things like that. They had learned to act with all their ninja speed when Dale was around them in the kitchen to get the things they needed out of cupboard and drawers before he had the chance to slam their fingers—or heads as Raph so painfully found out—in whatever was opened.

Their lair had quickly become far too small for their expanding families. It was almost enough to make him want to crawl into his shell and hide until they all got over the silly little phases they were in. No, being out and about able to take in deep gulps of fresh air without hearing any forms of complaints from the children was his idea of a good night, raining or not.

Giving a smirk to himself, Leo look around at his surroundings before starting off on his own micro-adventure to one of his favorite landmarks of the great city, the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Johnny "Tightlips" Young sighed as he shook his head. He knew when he agreed to meet with his older brother that he was going to get the standard lecture about getting out while he had the chance and making something of himself. Ever since Edward had gotten married and gone straight, he'd been trying to convince Johnny to leave the mob. However, for Johnny, it seemed to be easier said than done.

Maybe if he were younger instead of the thirty-one-years-old he really was, things would be different and he'd be able to make a clear break. But he wasn't, and things weren't different and as far as he was concerned, he'd sold his soul to the devil years before and he wasn't about to try and bargain for it back.

"Look, Eddie, it could never work. Not even with the 'protection' your FBI friends are promisin' ya. Da Wind would never let me go…I'd be followed and harassed the rest of my life just like you are. And if I were you, I'd pack up Su and the kids and leave town. Hell, leave the country. Cuz I can promise you something, Eddie, when Da Wind finds out you're helping the Feds get him…he's not going to stop until he sees you and every member of your family dead." Johnny said as he glared his older brother down.

"I'd like to see him try. I've manage to escape other attempts on my life, I'm surprised he doesn't think I'm bewitched or something." Edward answered, trying to make light of the situation by joking about Albert's strange superstitions and paranoia. Though he quickly sobered when he saw no laughter in his brothers' eyes.

"This isn't a game, Eddie. One day, fate is gonna catch up to ya, and you won't have your lucky rabbits' foot or that weird sword guy around to bail you out." Johnny glared his brother down one last time before he turned to start walking out of the alley.

Little did either man know how true those last words were. From an abandoned building nearby, a gunman sat, watching intently through the view finder of his custom made automatic shotgun, waiting for the shot he needed to take out both brothers. Finally though, he saw the opening he desired and smirked evilly to himself.

"Goodbye, Brothers Grim." He muttered to himself as he pulled the trigger back and let the first shot echo through the air.

Leo stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the first shot ring through the air. It had been nearby, two, three streets away maybe. Wondering what could be going on, he turned and quickly leapt from building to building. Something inside told him that shot had not been typical New York gang activity or a random shooting. That shot had sounded planned and deliberate.

Racing as fast as his legs could carry him, Leo reached a building over looking an alley just as a second shot rang out. Skidding to a halt, he watched in horror as Edward crumbled to the ground only inches away from his dead brother. Eyes darting in all directions, Leo watched as a shadow dashed out of a nearby building and took off down the street. He was tempted to go running after the shadow, and had his brother had been there also he would have, but instead leapt down the fire escape and rushed to Edward's side.

Quickly rolling Edward onto his back, Leonardo looked down in horror at his friend whose shirt was now soaked in blood. The bullet wound had entered his chest and had lodged itself in his rib cage, having nicked an artery leading to his heart. Still gasping for air and clinging to Leo's hand, Edward looked up at him with pleading eyes. Trembling as he reached into his coat pocket, the dying man pulled a folded piece of paper out and held it out to Leo.

"T…Take this…an…give it…to…S-Su. Make…Make sure she…gets it…Leo." He stammered, his voice shaking as he struggled to stay alive long enough to hear Leo's answer. Gulping, the leader of the turtles took the piece of paper and tucked it safely into his belt.

"I will, Edward."

"Make…sure they're…p-protected. He's…gonna go…after them…n-next. P-Promise me…Leo…th-that y-you'll look…after them." Edward pleaded, desperately trying to fight the darkness. Leo stared at him for a moment before he nodded.

"I swear it. I'll look out for them and make sure nothing happened to them. And…I will find who ever did this and make them pay." He swore, his blood boiling as he saw the life slipping from Edward's eyes. As the man's body went limp in Leo's arms, he felt a rage build up inside of him he hadn't felt since the disappearance of Naomi. Standing, he balled his fists at his sides and clenched his teeth as the distant wail of sirens broke through the air.

"I won't let you down again, Edward. You have my word as a ninja."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Woo! Chapter three up and ready to go! Also like to add that if you go to my website I have a fun new page listed called "Special Features"--though at the moment for some strange reason it can only be reached by going to page two of "Character Profiles"...gotta get that figured out. But anyways...on "Special Features" it gives a behind-the-scenes look at all the stories I have so far and some of the characters! Go check it out! The link is in my profile. Anyways...enjoy chapter three! Chap four to hopefully be posted tomorrow!**

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Chapter Three: Leo Meets the Family

Leo sighed heavily as he frowned moving from one rooftop to another on his way to the building Edward and his family occupied. He knew—that as a ninja—once he promised something he was bound by his honor to follow through with it. However, the part of him that was an uncle and single adult kept trying to tell him to turn his tail and run since the last thing the lair needed was three more mouths yapping. Nor was he at all happy about risking his life to protect a woman and family who was probably going to try to avoid him at all costs. What he truly wanted to do was track down Albert "Da Wind" Calavicci and make him pay for taking a father and husband away from yet another family. It was as if he was stuck in a Catch-22 and he didn't like it.

Crouching outside the home, hidden away on his fire escape perch, he once again rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. Sighing once more, he sat back and waited for night to fall. As he waited, his thoughts drifted back to a time when it was only he and his brothers, along with their Sensei of course, occupying their first humble little lair. For the first fifteen years of their lives it had been their home until one fateful night it was discovered by the Foot Clan and ransacked. Since then, they'd managed to move into a far more spacious lair, though with the growing size of their family it was apparent that they had all but out grown it.

Leo thought back on all the predicaments he and his brothers usually managed to get in when they were younger, predicaments that to that day he didn't honestly know how they managed to escape with their lives intact. He laughed slightly to himself as he realized he and his brothers were now getting a taste for what their Master Splinter must have went through trying to raise the four of them by himself, with the children acting the way they were. As he watched the movement of Ying and her daughter Elizabeth inside their warm home, his thoughts drifted to what his life would be like if one day he did decide to have a family of his own.

_Distracting,_ he thought to himself as he shook his head and looked to the ground, _distracting and far more hectic than it already is. No Leo, you're better off as you are._

As the sun crept lower in the western sky, casting the elongated shadows of the towering office buildings to the streets and alleys below, Leo slowly lowered himself into the narrow passageway between the Young home and the building next to it to make his way around the back. He still wasn't quite sure how he was going to get into the home without frightening Ying-Su too much, but he knew it had to be a way unseen to anyone else. As he moved further back down the passageway he saw a light coming from an open window. Unsure of which room it led to, he cautiously approached and looked in. Deciding it must have been their living room, he slowly and quietly opened the window more before climbing in and stepping out of view of the window.

The room was filled with a soft yellow light coming from the lamp at the far end of the room, and the warmth that surrounded Leonardo was a welcoming change from the damp coldness that had managed to seep into him as he waited in the rain for night fall. It was a pleasant enough room, a little too peach and pink for his likes, but nice all the same. It held two archways at either end of the wall parallel to the window which Leo assumed led into a hallway or another room. On the walls hung pictures of Elizabeth and her brothers along with some replicas of very famous paintings.

As Leo continued to observe the room, a movement down the hall caught his eye. Slowly moving through the room, he reached the middle just as a young woman entered followed closely by a boy about two in age. As they met, the three stared at each other in surprise before Ying opened her mouth to emit an ear piercing scream. Leo cringed in an attempt to save his hearing as Ying dove for the couch. Straightening, Leo quickly ducked again as a pillow went flying through the air at his head, followed by another and yet another. Frowning, Leo fought the flying pillows off as Ying continued to yell for him to stay back. From the corner of his eye, he saw a smaller girl enter the living room holding an object that looked to be a large sauce pan in her hands. Anticipating the girls attack, Leo spun and caught her hand mid-strike and narrowed his eyes.

"Not a good idea." He said softly as he lowered her arm and pulled the pan from it. Turning back to Ying-Su and frowning. "Are you done trying to attack me with couch pillows now, or would you like to try for the cushions next?" He asked, his voice low and not the least bit amused. Ying-Su quickly gathered Henry in her arms as she waved for Liz to move past him and come to her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She questioned, grabbing Elizabeth's arm and pulling her onto the couch. Looking around, Leo glanced back at Ying and frowned.

"Where's George?" he questioned, his arms crossed over his plastron. The young mother's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing into thin slits.

"How do you know their names? I'm calling my husband and then the police, and when I come back you'd better not be still standing there." She answered turning and moving out into the hallway. Rolling his eyes, Leo moved with surprising speed to cut her off on her way to the phone.

"Trust me; you don't want to call the cops. Now if you'll just get George and bring him into the living room with the others, I'll explain everything." Leo said his patience wearing thin as he kept one eye on the kids in the living room, the other on their mother. Sensing her apprehension, he lowered his arms and gave a soft sigh. "I'm not going to hurt them, or you. Just do as I ask and everything will be fine."

Ying-Su stared at him for a moment, unsure if she should listen to this creature that seemed to have just materialized in the middle of her living room or not. What if it were a trap set up by one of her husband's many adversaries? What if he wanted them all together as a family so that he could call in the others and kill them execution style? Finally deciding that no matter what she did, this…_thing_…was more than likely going to kill her and her family, and though it scared her almost to the point of tears, she nodded and slowly moved to a room at the end of the hall where her son lay sleeping. Moving back into the living room, she slowly sat on the couch next to Henry and Elizabeth who sat motionless, staring at the giant turtle in front of them.

Knowing he finally had their attention; Leo took a deep breath as he prepared himself to explain.

"My name is Leonardo; I'm not here to harm you. I know that doesn't seem to be the case, but it's true. I'm here to protect you from the people that will not hesitate in hurting any of you. I gave my word to your husband that I'd watch after you and the children until his…until the men that are after him are arrested." He stated not wanting to be the one to tell the children before him that their father was never coming home again. Ying frowned and shook her head.

"Why should I believe you? I don't even know you? How do I know that _you_ aren't with the men that are after him?"

Sighing, Leo shook his head and looked back into the expectant eyes of Edward's six year old daughter. Her haunting dark brown eyes bore down into his heart and made him wish beyond all things he hadn't made that promise to a dying man. Shaking his head, he frowned and looked back to Ying.

"I don't blame you for not believing me, but it's true. And I'm not asking for you to believe, or to even trust me, I'm just asking that you don't fight with me and know that Edward made me swear to keep you safe. And if that means making you do things you don't want to do, then that's what I'll do."

"I'm calling my husband. If any of this is true then he would have called me by now to say…"

"He won't answer the phone." Leo stated softly, looking down at the intricate pattern on their oriental rug. Stopping mid-step, Ying turned back to face him.

"Why not?" Before he could answer, a sweet chimed melody rang through the house causing all eyes to turn to the front door. He nodded for Ying to answer it as he slipped into the hall closet.

From his hiding place, he was able to hear the tone of the conversation but none of the words. He assumed, however, that it was a member of the authorities coming to tell Ying-Su that her husband had been found shot dead in an alley not far from the Brooklyn Bridge. Leo heard Ying's gasp of surprise and the sobs that followed shortly after. Once he was sure the officer had left, he slowly exited the hall closet and moved to stand in front of Ying, a somber expression etched on his face.

"That's why he won't answer." He stated quietly. Ying's head shot up as she glared at him with tears rolling down her now bloodshot eyes.

"You! You killed him didn't you!? You killed my Eddie and now you're here to kill us too, aren't you!?"

"I didn't _kill_ anyone! I tried to help him, for crying out loud. I'm the good guy. I've been protecting Edward for the past year. If it weren't for me he would have died a year ago! Listen, I know this is hard for you right now, but you don't have any other choice. The men that shot him are going to come after you and the children next. You need to come with me. I can take you someplace they'll never look." Said Leo as he quietly extended his hand out to place it sympathetically on her shoulder. Ying pulled back, disgusted.

"Don't touch me! Don't come near me! Y-you say you've been protecting my husband but where were you tonight?! Where were you when he was shot dead?" Her eyes narrowed and the look she gave cut daggers into Leo's heart.

"I said I _tried_ to help him." He nearly growled back. Ying-Su continued to shake her head and protest every word Leo was speaking. She didn't want to believe him when he said he was there to help her, she only wanted her husband to walk through the front door and make the intruder leave.

Finally though, a loud crash and Elizabeth's scared cry tore both adults away from their argument and back into the living room where a brick lay among scattered pieces of glass. Picking it up, Leo removed the note wrapped around it and handed the plain gold wedding ring to Ying-Su as he read the note. Frowning, he lifted his eyes and stared coldly at the still protesting woman.

"You don't have a choice anymore, Ying-Su. I'm taking you somewhere safe." He said, his voice no longer leaving her any room for objection as she took the note from him. It read: "_You're next. Signed, The Wind._"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I promised chapter four by today and by golly I have delivered. Sadly though, you all are going to have to wait a few more days for Chapter Five because I'm spending the weekend with my best friend and she's going to help me write in the mobster parts since they rightfully belong to her also. So yeah, just giving ya's a heads up on that. Also, I know I normally reply to reviews but I've had a really bad week and frankly hardly had the ambition to even start writing this chapter this afternoon so...thank you all who have reviewed so far...and hopefully next week will be better and I'll be back to my normal happy-go-replying self.**

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Chapter Four: "We're Gonna have Company"

Ying-Su Young had never much been one for taking orders lightly. Born a free spirit, the sweet faced daughter of Japanese immigrants made it her personal quest to defy orders, no matter who gave them and what was at stake. It was that rebellious streak in her that led her to marry Edward "The Gun" Young at age nineteen even though he had been twenty-seven. She knew it broke her parents' hearts to see their only daughter defy them in such a way, and looking back on it she did regret causing them so much pain. Of course, as time went on and she thought back on it more and more, she realized if she hadn't done against their wills then she never would have had her beautiful children nor would she have changed her own life around in order to care for them.

It was shortly after getting married to Edward that Ying-Su realized if she were ever going to have a family of her own that she needed to straighten her life up and attempt to set a proper example for their children. After months of grueling school work and short internships, Ying finally obtained a job as a nurse in one of New York's many walk-in medical clinics. Her life with Edward seemed to be perfect and complete once they welcomed their three children into the world. But as she tearfully gathered clothes together to put into a bag, she realized just how false it all had been.

She still wasn't sure if she trusted Leonardo or not, in fact, she was pretty sure it was more of the not side than anything, but she had a feeling deep inside that told her if he'd wanted to kill them he would have done it by then. She also had seen the way he'd handled her daughter when she gave her feeble attempt to save her mother from the giant turtle-man. He had been gentle as to not hurt her but still firm enough to get his point across and make her listen, a trait that led Ying to believe he'd had quite a bit of experience handling rambunctious children. Keeping that in mind helped to ease her nerves some, but not much. Moving from her bedroom to the playroom, she gave a gasp of surprise as Leo blocked her path.

"_Just clothes_. No toys. There are _plenty_ of toys where we're going." He said, his voice hinting at a slight annoyance that sparked a small bit of curiosity in Ying. Deciding against questioning him, Ying-Su nodded and moved on to Elizabeth's room to gather some more clothes for her daughter.

"I'm not leaving without Molly." A determined little voice said from behind Leo as he started for a window to keep look out. Knitting his eye ridges together, he turned and looked down to see Liz standing defiantly before him, clutching tightly to an antique china doll, who had obviously seen better days and that Leo was sure was worth at least a hundred dollars if not more.

"I'm sure Molly will be just fine here with the other toys. And with any luck you'll be back together in no time. She probably won't even know you're gone." He said, trying to sound reassuring. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and Leo knew from experience he'd just started a war between himself and the little girl.

"Molly will _too_ know I'm gone! And she is _not_ a toy! She's Molly and I'm not leaving without her!"

Leo sighed heavily as he glanced back at the window before looking back at the girl. Giving a small nod, he pointed towards her mother.

"Alright, Molly can come with. Go give her to your mother to keep her safe though so you don't drop her along the way." He watched as Elizabeth smiled triumphantly and skipped off towards her mother, still unaware of the danger that was quickly surrounding them all.

Once Ying-Su had packed as many clothes as she could into the two bags Leo allowed, she set about making sure the windows and doors were locked up. She didn't know how long they were going to be gone, but she did know she wanted everything still there once they came back. Meeting Leo at the bottom of the stairs, she swung a bag over her shoulder before picking up George who was on the verge of tears, cranky because his earlier nap had been rudely interrupted.

As she reached to pick up Henry to hold in her other arm, she saw a pair of green, three fingered hands reach out and scoop him and the second bag up in one swift scoop. Leonardo hoisted the back-pack up onto his shoulder quickly before holding Henry close to his plastron for protection. Looking back at Ying, he saw the momentary flick of fear in her eyes.

"It'll be faster if I carry him and a bag. We have to hurry and don't need anything slowing us down. Make sure Elizabeth keeps up." He said, moving for the back door. Taking her daughter's hand, Ying-Su quickly followed him out into the back yard and into a dark dank alley.

Leo still hadn't told her _where_ he was taking them, and as they moved from one dark alley to another, block after long block, a heavy weight began to form in the bottom of Ying's stomach. The homes and allies were quickly changing from the nice high-class society their neighborhood was a part of to dingy, worn out homes forgotten by the powers-that-be for most causes. Gulping hard, she tightened her hold on both children before quickening her pace in order to keep right behind Leo. After what felt like hours, the small caravan stopped outside what appeared to be the backside of a dilapidated shop.

"This is you're safer place? This is insane! We were better off at home with our security systems and regular police inspections of the neighborhood." Ying complained, her nose turned upward at the unsightliness of it.

Leo gave a small knowing smirk as he moved to the wall and pressed a button only he had been able to identify. A moment later, the garage door next to him slid open and Ying was about to duck out of the way—thinking a delivery truck was on its way out—when she noticed the building was empty save for a dark green pick-up truck and what appeared to be a utilities elevator. Stepping inside, Leonardo waved for her to follow before the door began to close behind them. As it did, a motion sensor light flashed on filling the make-shift garage with light.

"This way." Leo said moving for the elevator. Her eyes still adjusting to the sudden light, Ying blinked quickly as she struggled to follow his voice. From her side, she heard Elizabeth start to sniffle and cringed as she knew what was to come next. Leo must have sensed it also as he turned to face them, offering the little girl a small smile.

"Don't worry, Elizabeth…think of this as an adventure. You like adventures, right?" He asked, remembering Edward telling him of the adventures she would always pretend to be on throughout the house. She sniffled again but nodded.

"Alright then. This is just one big adventure." He offered her another smile as he opened the door to the elevator and motioned for them to enter. Setting the back-pack and little boy down inside, he waited for Ying-Su and the two other children to enter before closing the gate once more.

"You'll be fine. I'll meet you down there." Leo said as he started to slide the second door down. Before Ying could question what he meant, the elevator lurched up slightly before starting its slow decent into the sewer systems of New York City.

Shaking his head quickly, Leo moved to a nearby door leading back out into another alley. As he moved, he pulled his shell-cell from his belt and flipped it open. Punching in the predetermined speed dial number for Donatello, he slid a manhole cover to the side and started down the dark ladder.

"Yeah Leo?" Don's voice asked as he picked up on the second ring.

"We're gonna have company, Don. Make sure the alarms are all off. I don't want anyone freaking out over this." He stated, sliding down the ladder and landing with a soft _thud_ on the hard concrete below.

"Since when do we get company?" Came his brother's confused response. Shaking his head, Leo frowned as he moved along the wall to where the elevator came out at.

"Just do it, will you? I'll explain when I get home."

"Ok…you're the boss, boss. See you in a bit." Don answered before the phone clicked off. Closing his phone, Leo watched as a chunk of the faux wall moved to the side and revealed a very confused mother and children. Opening the doors for them, Leo stepped in and once again scooped up a bag along with Henry before motioning for them to follow him again.

"This way. Make sure you stay as close to the wall as you can. Ying-Su, keep a tight hold on Elizabeth and follow me carefully. If you get lost down here, well…let's put it this way, it wouldn't be a very happy ending."

Ying-Su stepped cautiously out into the sewer tunnel, her hand tightly holding Elizabeth's. The tunnel was pitch black and the mother had to place her hand out to her side in order to find the wall. As she did, a yelp of surprise escaped her mouth as she felt its dampness. Finally gaining her senses a little in the darkness, she cringed as the smell of rotting garbage and sewage went floating by in the water to her right. Gulping hard to keep her lunch down, Ying pulled the now sobbing Elizabeth next to her and forced herself against the dirty wet walls.

"The sewer?! You brought my children into the sewer? Do you know how many diseases they will probably catch down here? Not to mention all the _RATS!?_" Ying cried out as she heard the high pitched squeak and the tiny sharp nails go scurrying past her feet. Her cheeks flared with warmth as she heard the low chuckle come from in front of her.

"Actually, providing the kids are all up to date on their vaccinations they shouldn't catch anything down here that rest and soup shouldn't heal. As for the rats, well…if you can't handle these little guys, you are in for a big surprise later…_much_ bigger."

Leo continued to lead them through the dark tunnels he'd grown to know and love so well. He could hear Elizabeth behind him, crying out for her daddy and insisting that he wasn't going to know where they were once he came home. Gulping hard, Leo realized that Ying—like himself—didn't have the heart to tell her that her daddy was not going to come home. He wasn't quite sure which would be more painful for the six-year-old; still thinking her father was alive and up top looking for them or knowing the truth. Frowning, he shook his head, deciding it wasn't his place to worry about that.

Finally reaching the lair, he turned to make sure Ying and her daughter were still behind him before reaching up to tug down on one of the pipes above his head. He heard Ying open her mouth in question before closing it as the brick wall in front of them slip in half and slid to the sides releasing a flood of bright yellow light into the tunnel, followed by the sounds of other children. Walking in, Leo set Henry and the bag down before placing his foot in front of the door to keep it from closing on Ying and Elizabeth. As Ying entered the lair, her jaw went slack and her heart stopped. _This can't be…there can't possibly be…_more_ of them!?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry about the wait everyone...I haven't been having a very good...umm...well a very good month of November to be honest with ya's but hopefully with December approaching things will get better. I can only hope anyways. But here's chapter five...and I hope you all enjoy it. I tried to make it kinda humorous...hope it worked. Oh! One other thing...I know some of you have trouble reading dialog when I type it as I hear it in my head and I've been trying to think of a way to help with that. Cuz writing it normal...it kinda loses its touch to me. So here is an easy way to figure things out...**

**TH's become D's...so "There" and "That" would become "Dere" and "Dat" so on and so forth.  
ER's become AH's so instead of rivER it would be rivAH (Ahhh as in go to the doc and say Ahhhh)  
A couple words I just took out letters to or changed (example: Just became Jist shrugs and something became somet'in'). Other than that...I don't think any of you should have too much trouble with it. If you do...um...email me or let me know somehow and I'll see about changing it or something. Enjoy.**

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Chapter five: "Unnatural!"

Leo had not been the least bit fazed by the scene that welcomed them into the busy lair, but to Ying it felt as if she'd been thrusted into the middle of a war zone. A war fought between humans, mutants, and mutant hybrids.

She could hear the sounds of pots and pans banging around followed closely by the slamming of what she thought to be cabinet doors to her left. From her standing point at the top of the stairs though, she had no idea where those noises were coming from. What she saw in front of her though was enough to make her utterly dumbfounded.

There were two boys, about the same age as Liz maybe a little older, rolling around on the floor yelling at the other and tugging at something that appeared to be a game system between them. Their yelling though was nearly over shadowed by the barking of a dog, yipping and bouncing around them acting almost as the referee of the wrestling match. Another turtle, much similar to Leo but with a red bandana, had emerged from a near by room and begun yelling at the two boys.

"CHRIS! CHIP! Take it inta da dojo would'ya's? Somebodie's gonna get hurt out 'ere! DOOGIE SHUT UP!"

"But Uncle Raph!! He took my Game Cube!" The first boy exclaimed looking up at the turtle he'd just called Uncle. Ying-Su was flabbergasted.

"I did not! I found it fair and square!" The second one cried back still tugging on the system.

"The only thing square about it is your _head_ Chris!!" The first yelled as he tackled the second back to the floor. The adult turtle reached down and snatched both boys—still swinging and kicked at each other—by the cuffs of their shirts and dragged them back into the room he'd exited from earlier, the dog following close behind still refereeing.

Another boy was a few feet away, dribbling a worn out soccer ball between his feet quickly while a little girl sat near by watching him with interest. As Ying-Su glanced at the pair, the boy—who she guessed to be about seven-ish—kicked the ball and sent it flying, just barely missing the little girls head. He watched in frozen horror as her bottom lip began to tremble—the first sign a major tantrum was about to erupt from her sweet little face—before tears sprang from her eyes and she began to scream bloody murder.

"Aw c'mon Laney!! I didn't mean ta! Don't cry! Please?!"

"D-D-D-DAAAAAADDYYYYY!!!!!!!"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!!" The boy exclaimed as he picked up his ball from where it landed and went rushing to another room. A moment later yet another turtle emerged from a room, this one with a purple bandana, and moved to the screaming little girl. Picking her up, he held her close and rocked her back and forth in a feeble attempt at pacifying her.

"Shhh…shh…it's ok Laney, calm down, it's ok. You don't wanna hurt your ear more than it already is, do you?" He asked quietly, still rocking her in his arms. The little girl sniffled loudly as she shook her head, her right hand absently going to where an ear should have been.

"Ear hurt, daddy. An…An' Caseme kicked ball at me…" she answered, still sniffling and taking in struggled breaths of air. Her father sighed heavily and shook his head as he turned to head back into his room.

"C'mon…I'll check out your ear and then you can play with some of daddy's toys."

"O-o-otay…" she stammered, though the happiness in her voice was plainly obvious.

To Ying-Su's right she heard the muffled mutterings of another woman who didn't sound at all happy. Looking over, she saw a woman with blonde hair pulled into a messy pony tail with a pencil sticking through the rubber-band and holding a stack of papers. A red pen was in her mouth and bounced up and down with each mutter. Totally oblivious to Ying-Su and the kids, she moved past them and down the stairs.

"It's impossible to grade these papers with all this noise. What's goin' on down here? World War Seven?"

"Ange? There hasn't even been a World War Three. How could there be a WW7?" Another female's voice asked from the couch where she sat holding a guitar.

"Hey! I'm an English teacher! Not a History teacher! Leave me be." The first answered before disappearing into a room hidden from Ying-Su's view but she assumed to be the same room all the pots and pans were clanking around in. A moment or two later she heard a door slam shut and the first woman yelp in surprise.

"YEEEEE-OWWWW!!! DALE!! THAT WAS MY HEAD YOU JUST SLAMMED IN THE FRIDGE DOOR!!" She cried followed by the playful laughter of the little boy who'd done the door slamming.

"It's _not funny_! That hurt, Da—Mikey! I said it wasn't funny!! That hurt! Stop laughing at me!" More laughter erupted from the room, this time sounding far more grown up but just as playful as the first.

"Oh, well, you're setting a fine example for your son, now aren't you? Laughing at me cuz he slammed my head in the fridge door. You're so nice. I'm tellin' Raphie on you and he's gonna kick your tail for not punishing, or at least getting after him, for it!"

"Aw c'mon Ange! Ya gotta look at it from _our_ pointa view! If that were Raph or Leo who just got conked on the head with the door you'd be laughing your butt off too!" A new male's voice laughed.

"That's besides the point…" the woman muttered before walking back into view rubbing her head and now empty handed. As she walked through the main room, she paused and glanced at the wall across from the door, furthest away from anyone. Giving her own laugh, she smirked and turned back towards the room she'd just exited.

"Ooooooh Miiiikeeeey. You're beloved only daughter is painting another masterpiece on the living room wall again." She called over her shoulder almost joyfully. A soft curse sounded from the hidden room and a fourth turtle came rushing out, an orange bandana around his head and a white pizza chief's apron tied around his waist.

Looking straight ahead of her, Ying-Su saw what the first woman had been talking about and nearly let out a yelp of her own. A little girl with pig tails and pink overalls was sitting on the floor facing the wall, paint smeared on her fingers and a few streaks of blue and green in her hair where she'd pushed it off her face and managed to rub paint into it. On the wall was what appeared to be a family portrait but in true child form made of stick figures.

"Tabby!! No! What have we told you, babe!? Paper, not walls! Aw man…look at you! You're a mess! You're mom's gonna kill me if she comes in and sees you lookin' like this. And I'm gonna kill Uncle Donnie for getting you those stupid paints…"

"Actually Mike, it was my idea to get the finger paints. Donnie wanted the good old fashioned water colors but, those always pissed me off as a kid so I finally won and got her those. Sorry. I didn't know she'd make such a mess with them." The second woman still on the couch answered. The orange clad turtle glanced over at her and glared for a moment before shrugging.

"I can't kill a blind lady. But Donnie I can." He said before moving out of the room carrying the giggling six year old in his arms as she used the paint still on her fingers to put a little smiley face on her father's cheek. The little boy from the hidden room came rushing out as he saw his father disappear into another room and went running after him in hopes of closing more things.

Ying-Su finally regained her composure and turned to face Leo who had also been watching the happenings of the room but with a far more slightly amused look on his face than she was sure was on hers. She hadn't been informed there were more like him, or even children somewhat like him. And who were the women that were down there? Were they women who'd been convinced to go with them and were never allowed to leave again? Were they then forced into becoming these sick freaks sex slaves and reproduce with them?

"You get used to the madness eventually. Hopefully though, I can get things taken care of topside soon and you won't have to get used to it." Leo stated as he started off down a little balcony like hallway with doors lining the left side of the wall.

"Where are you going? You aren't leaving me here with them are you?" She questioned almost panicking. Leo glanced over his shoulder and motioned for her and the kids to follow him.

"No, I'm showing you to the room you and the kids can use while down here, at least until you can go back up top."

"So we're hostages? You've no intentions of letting us go back top do you?"

Leonardo sighed heavily as he stopped walking and allowed his shoulders to slump some. It was reasoning like that that was a main point in his reluctance to find someone to call his own. He knew how rare the three women already living down there were and how slim his chances were of finding another one as understanding and compassionate—not to mention patient—as his sisters-in-law were. People had a funny way of freaking out when they were confused and on the verge of hysteria and he had to admit that Ying-Su was about taking the cake for that.

"You aren't hostages. And trust me, I don't like the idea of you four being down here anymore than you do. Which is why I'm going to try my hardest to get this all taken care of as quickly as possible so you don't have to stay down here any longer than absolutely necessary." He explained as he stopped in front of a door at the very end of the 'hall'.

As he opened the door, Ying-Su was amazed to see how clean and tidy it was—not to mention how many Japanese decorations there were all over. Hanging from the wall were a number of katanas and samurai swords that had been mounted more for decoration than anything else, but Ying-Su had the feeling if they were ever needed Leonardo would have no trouble getting them. Scattered along the wall were candles of all shapes and sizes, some lit others having burned themselves out long before. The only thing that seemed out of place among all the Japanese décor was the full sized bed tucked into one corner. Given the way his room looked, Ying-Su would have guessed he followed true Japanese tradition and slept on a mattress placed right on the ground.

Leonardo moved to the bed and pulled two fluffy pillows out from under his bed. Setting them next to the two already on there, he moved for his candles to extinguish them. The last thing he needed or wanted was for one of those boys to stumble into one and get hurt. Turning on a small desk lamp to give the room some light, he motioned to the bed.

"You and the kids can sleep in here. I'll sleep elsewhere. If you need anything, there's always at least one person up at all hours to help if you need it. If you or the kids get hungry the kitchen is to the left of the stairs on the first floor. Bathroom is the second little alcove to the right of the stairs. That should be all you need to know. Goodnight." He said almost curtly as he turned and walked back out of his room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The silent trio moved slowly through the well maintained mansion. None of the men felt comfortable as they walked down the Victorian styled hallway towards the door that led them to certain doom. They knew he wasn't going to be happy with them and with each step they took a new bead of sweat formed on their brows.

"He's gonna kill us…he is…I know he is. We're dead men walkin'…I..I don't wanna swim in da East Rivah Tony! I…I _hate_ fish! He's gonna toss us in an' den all dose fishies is gonna come and dey's gonna eat our eyes out!" Mickey rambled almost frantically. His hands hadn't stopped wringing since they found out neither Johnny nor Eddie had the goods The Wind thought they had, and his black hair was plastered to his forehead with nervous sweat. Joey The Rat glanced over at Mickey and narrowed his eyes, giving an almost growl in protest.

"Oh…well he prob'ly won't kill _you_, Joey! I mean…youse his own cousin! Then again though…he did kill Geno…and Geno was his own bruddah! Ooooooh!! We're all gonna die!!" Mickey cried the fear of what to come taking over his emotions.

"Shut yer trap, Mickey. Ain't nobody gonna die. 'Sides…he killed Geno cuz he caught him sleepin' wid his girl. We didn't do nuttin' like dat. We jist tell Da Wind dat Eddie gave it ta dat freak dat's always dressed up like a big turtle or somet'in' an' dat da next time he comes out we'll kill 'im ta get it." Tony answered his deep voice low and threatening as they slowly edged closer to the closed door. Mickey gave another whimper as he looked up at the man who towered over almost everyone in their outfit.

"Oh yeah…yeah sure Tony…dat's easy for _you_ ta say! It'd take twelve elephant tranquilizers, four horse tranks, a bottle of vodka, and a feathah ta take _you_ down! But whadda 'bout us little guys, huh? Da Wind is gonna use our bones as toothpicks aftah he's finished eatin' us alive!" Again Joey glanced over and gave a long line of groans and growls as if forming a sentence with them. Both Mickey and Tony looked him before looking back ahead of them.

"Aw who asked you, Joey!?" Mickey exclaimed as they finally reached the door. Gulping hard, Tony reached out to knock when a voice beckoned from inside.

"Enter."

The three men looked at each other as the door opened on its own to reveal a large office with a grand desk at the furthest wall. The office, like the rest of the home, was styled in a Victorian/turn of the century kind of way that made anyone feel almost oppressed as soon as they entered. Behind the desk was a high back, black leather executives chair with its back to them. They could see the curl of cigar smoke drifting up from the right side and a well manicured—but very masculine—hand extend.

"H-H-How'd you know we was out dere?" Mickey asked nervously, hoping to stall the notorious mobster from killing them too soon.

"I smelled your sweat and fear…it's quite pungent." Albert "The Wind" Calavicci stated, still facing away from them. Standing at five-foot-seven and weighing nearly two hundred and fifty pounds, the forty-five year old gangster was every bit as dangerous as he looked. The three gulped again as they looked at each other.

"Uh…w-w-well…uhhh…J-J-Johnny and Eddie is dead now. Dat sniper does beautiful work! How much did he cost ya, cuz I'se been t'inkin' of hirin' him ta take out dis one guy who's been tryin' ta make da moves on—"

"Shut up, Mickey. Tony. Did you find it?" He questioned, never once turning around. Tony tried to hide his gulp as he stepped forward and took a breath.

"Uhh…no, boss. Da goods weren't on either of 'em. Uh…but that freak guy came down before we could get ta 'im. We saw 'im hand somet'in' to dis guy…it coulda been it." He said, hoping to live to see another day. The two men still behind him, gulped and took another step back and behind him, hoping to use the bigger man as a shield when The Wind would turn to shoot them dead.

Slowly and silently the chair turned to face them. The man sitting behind the desk glared at his henchmen through piercing blue eyes. His face had been marred at a young age from an auto accident leaving a long scar running from the left side of his forehead diagonally across his face. Setting his cigar down in a crystal ashtray, The Wind examined his ringed fingers carefully.

"Eddie knew better to hand it off to just anyone. No. He wouldn't have still had it. Go to his home. Bring me his little girl." He said calmly, still looking at his rings.

"B-but boss…we…we went to his house. Dey's gone! Da place is empty. Dey left." Mickey answered, his mouth spitting out the words before he could stop them.

"Then find them, Mickey, or I will personally see to it that you are thrown into the piranha tank at the zoo." The Wind answered as he glanced back up at them. Mickey gulped hard and stepped back behind Tony in hopes of disappearing. The Wind glared at the three of them for a moment before the door behind them opened again.

"Well? The longer you three stand here wasting time, the more cement I add to the mix for later use. You don't want cement trousers do you?"

Without further prodding, the men rushed from the office and back out into the streets to begin their frantic search for Eddie's family, most importantly the little girl their boss seemed to believe held the key to what they'd been after for so long.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Good news! Chapter six, up and ready to go. Bad News...there's a _lot_ of dialoge in this chapter. I don't know why, I tried not to do it but for some reason all this dialoge just started flooding from my finger tips and I couldn't stop it! Also...I basically _just_ finished writing this chapter and it's now 4:08am Central Standard Time which means it's _waaaaaaaay_ past my bed time so I'm past the point of being tired to where everything is funny...and well...the last exchange I have between the brothers at the end of the chapter...I'm not sure if it's truly as funny as I find it cuz I just spent five minutes laughing at it and I'm not sure if it was lack of sleep or if it's truly that funny. I don't know. So...you people decide. Oh! Also! I'm holding another contest! Yaaaaaaaaay::Crickets chirp:: No yay? Meh, whatever. I wanna give my stories a title...like..."(something) Series" but I don't know what. So if anyone can think of a kick-arse title for my series I'll give you full props and it'll be listed at the end of each summary for the rest of my stories revolving around these characters. Kay? K...I'm gonna stop rambling and let you people read! Gooooooodniiight everybody:0)**

* * *

Chapter Six: Ying-Su Meets the Wives

Ying-Su woke with a start the following morning. She had the strangest dream of her life! She dreamt she and her children had essentially been kidnapped by a strange man dressed as a turtle who claimed to be a friend of her husbands. Her husband. She paused as memories of the night before came flooding back to her. Edward was dead. He'd been shot and killed. It wasn't a dream! Her eyes shooting open, she sat up and looked around quickly. The door to the room was still closed and her children were still curled up in bed around her.

Giving a slightly relieved sigh, she settled back against the pillows and looked down at her twin boys, both snuggled against each other and sleeping peacefully. Ying-Su fought back the lump she felt forming in her throat. Her sons were never going to know their father now. They had no one to teach them to ride bikes, play catch, or drive. They had no one to confide in about whatever troubles young men talk to their fathers about.

Sniffling slightly, she looked to her right and saw her beautiful little girl curled around her beloved doll. Her black hair was sprayed out around her in a dark halo. Reaching out, Ying-Su gently pushed it from Elizabeth's face and smoothed it some against the bed sheets. Her and Edward's precious daughter. Elizabeth adored her father so much that it nearly made Ying weep for her to know she'd never again get to run for the door to greet him. She'd no longer get to sit in the parlor at the window watching for him to come walking down the sidewalk carrying sometimes just a piece of candy other times bigger, elaborate gifts for her. Nor would she have a father to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

The pain Ying-Su felt inside for her children's loss made it nearly impossible to breath. The tightness in her chest was overwhelming. She knew she had to tell them what had happened to their father, but a part of her believed if she didn't tell them then maybe it wouldn't have to be true. Carefully climbing from the bed, Ying moved for the bag she had brought with them that held their clothes. Still fighting the urge to cry, she began laying out her children's clothes for the day before changing into a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweatshirt she had taken from Edward's closet.

"Mama?" Elizabeth's voice called from the bed. Ying-Su turned and forced a smile she didn't feel onto her face.

"Right here, sweetheart." She answered as he moved for the bed. Elizabeth sat up slowly as she yawned and stretched, accidentally knocking her two younger brothers in the process. Sitting up with their bottom lips trembling, both boys look at their sister with confusion in their eyes, wondering why they were sharing a bed with her and why she had felt the need to hit them to wake them up. Before they had a chance to start to cry however, Ying-Su scooped them up into her arms for a hug and kissed their heads.

"Mama? I'm hungry." Elizabeth said as she hugged her mother back. Ying felt a knot form in her stomach. True Leo had told her where the kitchen was located the night before, but now that it was morning-or at least she assumed it was-she was sure the others would be up and that would mean having to converse with them. Something that, at the moment, she wanted nothing to do with. But she knew she couldn't make her children go hungry just to save her the awkwardness of going down there. Sighing, Ying-Su nodded.

"Alright. Get dressed and we'll go see if they have any breakfast they can spare for us."

After helping them change from their pajamas into their street clothes, Ying-Su carefully opened the door and peeked out. To her utter amazement, there was hardly any noise coming from below. Placing a boy on either side of her, she motioned for Elizabeth to follow close behind and started for the stairs.

The two little girls from the night before were sitting on the couch watching cartoons, each with a bowl of cereal sitting on their laps. Their hair was wet and plastered to their heads and were both dressed in fresh looking clothes. There was also one boy sitting on a chair holding a bowl of cereal. His blond hair was also wet, though instead of being plastered to his head, it stuck out in all directions as if towel dried and then left to finish air drying as it was. The three children paid no attention to Ying-Su and her kids as they moved silently down the stairs.

To Ying's left she hard the quiet laughter and chatter of the three women she had noticed the night before also. They were sitting around the table, each with a cup in front of them, laughing about something Ying-Su couldn't hear.

"Now they know how _we_ feel every time we have to give the kids baths."

"I second that! Ooooh Raph is gonna be so pissed by the time they get to the last kid."

"But Angie? When _isn't_ Raph pissed?"

"I could answer that…but I don't think you wanna know!" Laughter again erupted from the kitchen. As Ying-Su slowly drew nearer, the laughter softened and two pairs of eyes turned to her.

"Hi! You must be Ying-Su. Leo went out for a little while but he said if you needed anything we were to give you a hand. You and the kids hungry? Julie made waffles." A bubbly blond questioned as she jumped from her place at the table and moved for the toaster.

"Don't flatter me, Ange…they're Eggo's and you know it." The third, a redhead, answered as she continued to just stair straight ahead of her, with her head slightly tilted to the side.

"I don't care! They're good, and that's all that matters." The first said turning back around with three plates of waffles. Setting them on the table, she pulled up three child sized chairs and smiled at the kids.

"There ya go. Butter? Syrup? Powered sugar?"

"I used all the powered sugar last night, Ange." The second woman stated, her brown hair pulled into a messy bun. The woman now identified as Ange turned to stick her tongue out at the other.

"Oh fine then. No powered sugar. Anything though?" She asked quickly, turning to face the kids and Ying once more. The children all looked at the plates as they licked their lips and shook their heads.

"You kids can take the plates into the living room if you want. Don't have to sit at the table if you don't want to." The redhead stated as she slowly reached out for her mug and brought it up to her lips. Without even asking for permission, Elizabeth grabbed her plate and rushed for what she guessed was the living room—though it was the strangest living room she'd ever seen—to sit and watch cartoons with the others while she ate. Henry and George looked at the TV longingly and then back at the plates out of their reach. Smiling, Ange took the plates and started for the living room, the twin boys following right behind.

To say it didn't startle Ying-Su to see her children act so comfortable and at ease in that strange new place with all these people they didn't know would be a lie. She watched closely as the twins flopped down onto the floor next to their older sister and Ange place the plates on their little laps.

"Ying-Su? Would you like to sit down and have some breakfast, or a cup of coffee?" The brunette questioned as she stood up and moved for the counters. Ying-Su turned her attention back to the two remaining woman and felt her cheeks darken slightly. Until that moment, she didn't realize how hungry she truly was. Moving one of the chairs Ange had brought over for the kids, she seated herself at the table.

"Yes, a cup of coffee would be nice, thank you." She said softly. The woman all seemed nice—and normal enough—so it bothered Ying-Su deeply to know that for whatever reason there was, they chose to live their lives out underground with the…the…whatever they were!

"My name's Gwen. This is Julie and that one who took the kids to the living room is Angie." Gwen said nicely as she sat the cup of coffee down in front of Ying-Su. Ying gave a polite nod as she took a sip of the warm drink. She looked up as Angie came back in, smiling brightly.

"What about me?" She asked, flopping back into her chair between Gwen and Julie. Julie chuckled and moved her head slightly towards Angie.

"We were just telling Ying-Su that you were the only one desperate enough to marry Raph." She joked playfully. Though Julie was blind, Angie still insisted on making a face at her and shaking her head.

"I was not desperate! He just proved to me he's not the hard-ass he tries to make everyone think he is!"

"Uh-huh…sure…she's still in denial about it." Gwen joked, smiling over at Ying-Su in hopes of helping her feel a bit more relaxed around them. Ying looked between the three women and felt as if she were intruding on their inner circle.

"The only thing I'm in denial about is my age. I refuse to believe that I'm thirty-one. Thirty-one's so…so…old!" Angie exclaimed as she hid her face in her hands. Julie burst out laughing as Gwen glared at her best friend, arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh gee, thanks, Ange! And what's that make me? An antique?"

"What? No…you're only a year older than me."

"Exactly my point! If thirty-one is 'old' what's thirty-two then?" Gwen questioned in mock anger. Angie thought for a second before shrugging innocently.

"Old_er_?"

Julie laughed again as Ying-Su looked at Angie in confusion. Did they seriously just say she had married one of those things?

"I'm sorry…I don't mean to interrupt…" Ying-Su started.

"By all means, please do! We do it to each other anyways." Julie said as she spread her arms across the table before giving a small laugh again.

"Um…ok…who is Raph?" She questioned hoping with all her might that they didn't say what she thought they would. Angie paused from her mild laughing fit and gave a cough as if clearing her throat before answering.

"Oh…heh…sorry. Raph's my husband; Leo's brother." Ying-Su's heart dropped. It was true, she had understood them correctly.

"Y-you…_married _a…a…"

"A turtle?" Gwen finished, her arms resting on the table as she looked at Ying-Su with a deadly serious face. Ying felt the knot in her stomach twist and turn as the tension between the three women and her thickened.

"You married a turtle?" She finally stammered out. The air around them quickly began to spark with negative energy. The three women who just moment before were laughing and joking were suddenly silent and serious as they stared at her. Ying-Su did not like the fact that she suddenly became the one with a problem when it was clear to her _they_ were the ones with it if they married out of their species.

"Yeah…I married a turtle. And so did Gwen—in fact Gwen was first to marry one—and so did Julie." Angela answered, for once her voice low and serious.

"Why? Is there a problem with that?" Julie questioned, tilting her head to the listen for Ying's answer.

Standing up from the table, Ying-Su stared at them as if they'd all just melted together to form one. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or horrified by knowing the truth about the women. A part of her was happy to hear the turtles hadn't kidnapped them and forced them to stay down there, but then there was the part of her that couldn't understand _why_ they would be willing to leave the comforts and security of the outside world to live in a _sewer_ and actually _breed with turtles!!_

"Yes! Yes there's a very BIG problem with that! They're turtles! They aren't even the same _species_ as you!" She argued. Gwen raised an eyebrow and looked at her two other friends.

"Ya know…that argument sounds strangely like the same one I pulled on Mike when he told me he loved me." The other two women nodded as Ying-Su stood dumbfounded in front of them. How could they be able to look past it all and be able to actually fall in love with an animal?

Opening and shutting her mouth like a fish out of water, Ying began to tremble with anger and frustration. She hated everything about her situation. She didn't like feeling like an outsider, or like the 'strange one' in a room full of people who thought _they_ were normal. Turning on her heels, she hurried to the living room.

"Elizabeth, Henry, George. Let's go…back upstairs." She ordered as she took their plates from them. The three children looked at their mother in confusion before looking back at their new playmates and the TV.

"But…but mama…we wanna stay down here with them." Liz said, looking up at her mother pleadingly. Gwen stood up at the table and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Might as well just let them stay down here with our kids since you seem to be the only one with a problem." She said her voice cold and harsh as she stared hard at Ying-Su. Setting her jaw, Ying glanced back her children for a moment before turning and storming up the stairs to hide away in the room Leo had allowed her to barrow.

* * *

It was a few hours later before Leo returned from his quiet meditation time. Since it was bath day for the children of the lair, Leonardo always found it a good idea to use the few hours it took to wrangle the kids, get them in line outside the bathroom, washed, dried, clothed, and sent off for breakfast, to sneak out and go meditate somewhere quiet. Having no children of his own to have to fight with, he was usually left exempt from having to help, something he knew aggravated his brothers beyond all decent words. 

By the time he had returned to the lair, it had somewhat returned to its typical madhouse atmosphere with the arrival of three new playmates. Tabby, Laney, and Liz were keeping themselves busy by playing dolls while Dale was teaching Henry the fine art of slamming things shut. George was merely sitting quietly in front of the TV, trying hard to hear the "Winnie-the-Pooh" tape Gwen had put in for him. Chip, Chris, and Casey were no where to be found which lead Leo to believe they'd either been sent to their rooms or into the dojo to do flips as punishment for something.

Shaking his head, Leo moved past the children that were in the living room, and headed for his Sensei's room. He found it hard to believe their beloved adopted father could concentrate enough to actually meditate and not get distracted by the children's playing. But then again, he had plenty of practice with Leo and his brothers when they were younger. Silently standing outside the door for a moment, he waited until he heard the soft but gruff voice give him permission to enter. As he entered and kneeled before his Master Splinter, he caught sight of the very small smile playing on the old rodents face.

"Ying-Su is a very strong willed young lady, my son. A sparrow that flutters about and squawks when put in a cage." He said softly. Leo gave a small half laugh and nodded.

"Yes, Master, I know. I'm sorry for bringing them here. I had no other choice though. Their lives were in danger and my life would have been in danger had we had stayed topside." Leo answered, just as quietly as he brought his gaze to meet his Sensei's. He had always been close with their father, but it was only after his brothers were married with children of their own that Leo began spending more time with him and actually becoming his friend also.

"It is alright, Leonardo. You did as you knew you must in order to protect others. You did the right thing."

"I hope so, Father. I had promised Eddie that I wouldn't let anything happen to his family, though to be honest, I almost wish I could have my shell removed instead." Leo laughed jokingly. Splinter gave a light chuckle as he looked down at his hands.

"My son, a promise is not something that should be taken on lightly, particularly one regarding life, or death. Perhaps, in a way, protecting Ying-Su and her children will help you feel less guilt and pain over being unable to help rescue Naomi in time, before she was stolen from your brother and Guenevere."

Leonardo took a deep breath. He knew it was impossible to keep those feelings hidden from Splinter, so it shouldn't have hurt him as bad as it did to hear him say them aloud. He'd been blaming himself for not making it there in time. He had been the one driving after all. If he'd gone a little faster, taken the one alley instead of the one he did take, he could have made it there in time and maybe could have saved Gwen and Naomi before anything happened. Sighing, he lowered his eyes.

"Ying-Su and her children are to stay here until you are able to settle affairs topside with the men who are after them. And with time, she will learn we are nothing to fear." Splinter said, a strange and mischievous glimmer in his eyes. Leo noticed this and shook his head.

"Master Splinter, I don't want my own family. I have you and the others. I've made my decision. Besides, she won't be down here long enough. By the end of the week she'll be safe to return to her home and won't have to worry about seeing me ever again." Leo answered coldly though there was a sliver of repressed pain hidden within his tone. Deciding not to press the issue further, Splinter nodded silently and closed his eyes, returning to his meditation. Standing quietly, Leo gave a low bow to the rat and slipped back out.

His brothers had finally emerged from their hiding places and were sitting on the couch behind George, though Mikey was the only one of the three adults actually watching the TV. Giving a small smile and shaking his head, Leo stepped up next to the couch and placed his hand on the back.

"Yo, bro…who's the dame who's locked up in yer room an' won't come out, but yet let 'er kids stay down 'ere an' play?" Raph asked as he munched on a carrot stick.

"Her name's Ying-Su…she's under our protection for a little while. Speaking of which, I need you three to make sure she, or any of her kids, doesn't leave this lair. I don't care if one of you has to stand guard in front of the door all day, they are not to leave. It's too dangerous for them up there right now." He said as he removed his katanas from their resting place on a hook out of the children's reach.

"Where you going that you can't watch them yourself? We've got our own kids to look after." Donnie said as he looked over the back of the couch at his older brother. Leo turned as he started up the stairs and sighed.

"I'm going to try and find the men responsible for placing them in our care and make sure they are properly taken care of themselves. And I mean it…no one leaves until I come back." He ordered before turning and disappearing out the door.

"No one leaves until I come back." Mike said mockingly towards their oldest brother. "Pfffft! Hey Raph? Ya wanna go out for some good old time sewer skating fun?" He asked hopefully. Raphael looked at his youngest brother as if he'd grown a second head.

"He just told us, no one leaves an' you wanna go out skatin'?"

"Uh-huh." There was a pause from the red bandana clad turtle before he stared back at the television screen, silently weighing his options. Stay there and be driven crazy by kids? Or go out and relive some good times with his bro?

"Yeah ok." Raph shrugged as he stood up and moved for the closet that held his old pair of roller blades and Mikey's skateboard. As the pair headed for the stairs, Don did a double-take before jumping up and grabbing his bike from the closet.

"Wait for me!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: There's a slight bit of swearing towards the middle and end. Other than that...I don't think there's anything else for me to say...other than...the polls are still open for a title for the series...only gotten one so far, which is pretty good but...not exactly a fair fight ya know? So...if anyone wants to put in for a title to the series, you have until Chapter Nine so...get your creative juices going. That is all. :0)**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Making a Break for It

Elizabeth silently watched as the three turtle brothers rushed up the stairs and out the door. She'd heard the blue turtle tell them they were supposed to watch her and her brothers but yet as soon as he left they grabbed their gear and went running out. She may have only been six-years-old, but she at least knew that they weren't supposed to have left them alone. Hugging Molly closer to her, she turned her attention back to the television.

George was still sitting there watching "Winnie-the-Pooh" while Delaney and Tabitha had run off to play in another area of the lair. Henry was still toddling around with Dale and both were having a good time slamming shut different things. The other boy had run off to another room to play and the three women from that morning had all gone off their own ways thinking the turtles were looking after the kids. And her mother was still locked away in their room.

Getting up, Liz stood up and moved for the steps. She didn't want to stay down there anymore, she knew if they stayed down there much longer she'd miss her daddy coming home from work. She'd missed him the night before and she wasn't gonna miss him again. Climbing up the steps, she paused as she heard a shuffling behind her.

"Where ya goin'?" Tabitha asked as she tilted her head, looking up at Elizabeth with curiosity. Liz slowly turned and looked at the other little girl, her mind quickly running through ideas and lies.

"Uh…I'm going to see my mommy." She answered, hugging Molly a little tighter. Tabitha looked at her for a moment before smiling and skipping off.

"Okay! Bye bye!" Liz sighed in relief as she looked at the door. Quick as she could, Elizabeth opened the sliding brick doors and stepped out into the sewers. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she carefully felt her way down the tunnel.

"C'mon Molly, let's go find daddy."

* * *

Gwen sighed as she moved through the living room. She gave a small smile as she saw George sitting on the couch with Dale and Henry with him. Tabitha and Delaney were sitting behind the couch coloring in their coloring books while Chris and Chip were still in their rooms from earlier that morning when they poured sewer sludge on the two little girls and Casey was in the dojo tossing his baseball against the wall and catching it.

As she moved for the kitchen, Gwen paused and turned back to take inventory of the kids again. One was missing. Knitting her eyebrows together, she walked back over to the two girls.

"Tabby? Where's Elizabeth?" She asked, kneeling down in front of them.

"She went up to see her mommy." Tabitha answered as she stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth while coloring. Gwen smiled as she kissed her daughter and niece's heads.

"Ok…just making sure." She said as she moved for the kitchen to start making dinner for her and the other families.

* * *

Elizabeth heaved with all her strength as she pushed the heavy metal manhole cover aside and poked her head out. She didn't realize how very lucky she was to have chosen that ladder and to have it come out in an alley way. Glancing around quickly, she scrambled out of the manhole, still clutching tightly to Molly in her hand, and headed out into the streets.

To a six year old, every city block looks the same and all the towering buildings appear to be the same ones surrounding their home. An adult, however, knows this isn't the case and would know instantly that they were in unfamiliar territory. This lack of knowledge didn't seem to faze Elizabeth though as she and Molly moved down the sidewalk in search of her home and her father.

The sidewalks in that part of the city were steadily becoming less and less congested as the day grew shorter. No one seemed to pay any thought to seeing the little girl and her doll walking purposely down the sidewalk, and none of them wanted to spend the time to question her as to why she was walking alone. _She deserves what's comin' to her if she's dumb enough to be out by herself._ They thought to themselves as they quickly pushed past her on their way back to the safety of their own homes.

Elizabeth continued to walk the streets long after the crowds had died down. Things were starting to look less and less familiar to her then, and as the last ray of natural light vanished behind a worn down boarded up building a knot formed in her stomach as her bottom lip trembled. She didn't understand it; she should have been home by then. Trembling slightly, she tightened her grip on Molly and slowly continued forward—since she couldn't remember which way she'd come from originally to begin with. Gulping hard, she felt the tears start forming in her eyes as she looked around and saw there were no longer any houses of any kind around; only dilapidated old warehouses and factories.

"M-Molly? I…I don't think we're gonna find Daddy here…but…I…I don't know where here is…do you?" She asked looking down into the blue eyes of the China doll. Gulping again, Elizabeth shook her head.

"M-Me neither…"

* * *

As Ying-Su emerged from her room, the smell of frying potatoes and hamburger filled her senses. She hadn't eaten since lunch time the day before and to seem such delicious food cooking downstairs, made her stomach knot up tightly and her mouth water. She slowly moved down the stairs and was quickly greeted by her twin sons. They both smiled brightly up at her as they clutched to her legs. Giving a small laugh, she scooped them up in her arms and gave them each a nice tight hug.

The wives stood in the kitchen with their kids all waiting somewhat patiently in a line with plates and silverware in their hands. The turtles were nowhere in sight which made Ying-Su breath a little easier, and as she started for the kitchen, she realized there was one other person missing. Knitting her eyebrows together, she quickly looked around for her daughter.

"Where's Elizabeth?" she asked as she continued to look around. Gwen looked up from slicing hamburger buns and glanced over at the woman with her own brows knitted together.

"Tabby said she'd gone upstairs with you."

"Well she's not! Where is she? Elizabeth? Lizzie?! Where are you, Elizabeth?" Ying-Su called as she began searching for her daughter around the living room. Gwen looked at her two friends as they set down their dinner supplies and moved into the living room with Ying-Su.

"Ok…we'll help you look in here. Damnit where are the guys when you need 'em? Julie? Get on the phone…see if you can contact Donnie. Tell 'em if they're out in the sewers to look for Elizabeth in case she somehow slipped out." Gwen ordered as she and Angie set about looking in the different rooms throughout the lair.

* * *

"Molly…I don't like this. I don't know where Daddy is and I don't know where Mommy is…" Elizabeth said, her lip trembling as tears rolled down her cheeks. The streets were only lit by the street lights that lined the way. Soft yellow circles of light with gray darkness dividing them on the sidewalk seemed to make the already frightening uncertainty of everything even worse.

As Liz passed a dark alley, she paused as she heard voices from within.

"We can't go back to 'im empty handed. I don't wanna swim wid da piranha's!"

"Shut up, Mickey…we ain't gonna go back till we get somet'in'." A low gruff voice answered. Elizabeth gulped as she tightened hold of Molly and stepped back into the light. She knew she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers but, since no one else seemed to be on the streets, they seemed to be her only chance.

"Um…e-ex-excuse me? D-Do you know where my mommy and daddy are?" She asked timidly. The three men stepped out of the alley and looked down at her, even Mickey who wasn't much taller than her to begin with. They weren't exactly the friendliest looking bunch, but then again they didn't look like the type who would kill a six year old girl either.

The first man to approach her had a horribly scary scar across his throat but a somewhat friendly smile on his face. Giving a string of growls low in his throat, he reached his hand out for her. The man who was only inches taller than her, gave another smile as he stepped next to the first.

"Joey says c'mon…da streets is no place fer a pretty li'l t'ing like you."

"We'll get ya back out where it's safe." The tallest man said as they turned and headed back the way Elizabeth had just come from. Feeling a little better, Liz smiled up at her saviors as she held Joey's hand in one of hers, Molly in the other pressed tight to her chest.

"My name's Elizabeth…what's yours?" The three men looked at each other, then down at the little girl, then back out in front of them.

"I'm Mickey…dis is Tony…and dat's Joey. Ey! Elizabeth! Isn't dat Eddie's daughters' name?" Mickey questioned as he looked at his partners in crime and then at Liz. Elizabeth's eyes widened and she smiled brightly.

"You know my daddy!?" She asked hopefully. The men stopped in mid-step. The girl they'd been searching for literally just stumbled into their grasps and they were about to help her find her way home? Their eyes gleaming, Tony took Elizabeth from Joey's grasp and turned them around again.

"Yeah…we know yer daddy, sweetheart. Wanna go see 'im? He's dis way."

What luck! They'd been so worried they were going to be beat into bloody pulps if they returned to their boss empty handed once more, but now that fear seemed almost silly to them. This little girl had actually come to _them_! How much easier could it get?

Elizabeth smiled brightly though, at the thought of getting to find her father. She knew she'd been extremely lucky to find such nice men who actually knew her daddy and were going to help her reach him. What she didn't know though, was she'd been horribly tricked and was being escorted to a ruthless mob king instead.

The men moved themselves around so there was one of them on either side of her and one in front of her to block her view. They didn't want their prize to be seen; not that there was anyone out who would see, but they didn't want to take that chance. As they walked, Liz continued to yammer excitedly. A part of each man felt bad for the little girl, but that was quickly washed away by the relief they got by knowing they were going to live another day longer.

As the small party prepared to turn a corner that lead to the secret hideout of their boss-man, a shadow moved above them, causing the men to stop and look around. Nothing seemed out of place, but they couldn't shake the feeling they were being followed. Mickey gulped ahead of them and turned to face the other three. As a he did, a black shadow fell from above and landed silently behind him.

"Tony…I gotta baaad feelin' 'bout dis. M-Maybe we should uh…I dunno…pretend we nevah saw da kid?" Mickey stammered, looking between Elizabeth and the other two.

"If you were smart, that's exactly what you'd do." A new and none-too-amused voice said from behind him. Gulping hard, Mickey turned and was instantly kicked to the ground.

"It's dat turtle freak! Get 'im, Joey!" Tony shouted as he yanked Elizabeth's arm hard and pulled her away from the fight.

Liz watched as Joey pulled a gun from his pocket and aimed it for Leonardo. An ear piercing scream left her lips causing Joey to cringe, which allowed Leo the advantage he need to disarm the mute man. Tony's mammoth sized hand clamped over her mouth to silence her as the battle between the men continued. The men were fast, but not fast enough, and their street fighting skills were in no way comparison of his life time of ninja training.

Elizabeth struggled against Tony's steely hard grip. She had the sudden rush of fear that these men weren't trying to help her after all, but that turtle who'd taken her, her mom and her brothers down to his home _would_ help her at least find her mother again. Wiggling in his grasp, she dug her nails into his meaty flesh and managed to move his hand just enough for her to bite down hard. Tony gave a whoop of surprise and pain as he released her from his hold to examine the bite mark on his hand that was now beginning to bleed. Spinning around, Elizabeth kicked Tony hard in the shin, the same leg Leo had kicked against a little over a year ago in order to get the big man to buckle.

Leo saw this exchange and couldn't help but smile a little. The little girl either had no idea who and what she was up against or was a lot braver than he thought. Of course, if she'd managed to sneak out past his brothers and through the sewers alone then maybe she _was_ a lot braver than he thought. But then again…if she'd managed to get past his brothers that meant…_damnit guys! I ask you to do one simple thing, and as fathers you should already be accustomed to doing it, and you couldn't even watch them for a few hours!?_ Growling, Leo round-house kicked both men in succession, sending them both to the ground.

"Hate to dance and run, boys, but my dance card is full up and you really aren't my style anyways." He said as he flipped over both men. Landing in front of Elizabeth, he didn't have time to even cast her a chiding look before he had to scoop her up into his arms and take off running for the nearest empty building he could find.

Covering her mouth with his hand gently, and placing a finger to his own mouth to indicate the importance of being quiet, Leo peeked out of a board to see the men slowly climbing to their feet.

"W-Wh-Where'd dey go, Tony?"

"How should I know? Dat li'l brat 'bout damn near broke my leg! Split up…both ya's. We gotta find 'em." The three men all took off down the alley, splitting up as they reached the intersection and disappeared into the night. Giving a sigh of relief, Leo looked at Elizabeth who was looking back at him sheepishly. Biting her lip, she gulped and hid slightly behind Molly.

"I…I wanted to find Daddy." She paused and looked up at him with her large brown eyes. "Am…Am I in trouble?"

Sighing, Leo shook his head and stood up. Taking her hand, he moved for the door again. "No…let's just get you back to your mom. She's probably worried sick."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Ok...sorry this chapter's a tad on the short-sucky-side...I dunno why it turned out the way it did, but for some reason it just doesn't seem to be my best work. Hmmm...oh well. Oh, also, keep an eye out for one of my "oh-so-enjoyable-uplifting-Christmas" TMNT stories this weekend. My best friend's coming up and she's going to help me write it because I have something cute I had planned on putting in this chapter but it just didn't seem to fit. Anyways though...so yeah...keep an eye out for that. It's either going to be for Mikey or Leo...dunno yet. Anyways, enjoy this chapter! And please please please don't forget to review. Make it my Christmas present, ok? Not too hard to do, right? Click that little button, type a few words, hit another little button...all done! **

* * *

Chapter Eight: Something They Want

"I can't believe you guys! You all have kids of your own! How could you just go running out to go skating? I mean, our kids that wouldn't be such a problem because they know better than to go roaming out in the sewers alone and how dangerous it is out there, but not Ying-Su's! If anything happens to that little girl, you can bet your tails you're gonna have _six_ angry people to deal with. Us, Ying-Su, Splinter, and Leo. Ooooooo you boys are so DEAD!"

"Hey, Jules…take it is easy will ya? We searched da sewers and she ain't out dere. She either went topside or is still in 'ere somewhere and if she's topside Leo'll find her."

"Don't you dare tell me to take it easy, Raphael! And what do you think Leo's gonna do to you three if he does find her out there by herself? Huh? He trusted you guys to watch them."

"Julie, calm down. We'll find her, don't worry."

"Donatello, I have only one thing to say to you and that is it's a darn good thing there's a cot in your lab because that's where _you'll_ be sleeping for the next two weeks."

"Ha ha! You gotta sleep in your la-a-a-ab."

"Go ahead and keep laughin', Mike…your bed's the couch for the next two weeks too." Gwen said as she moved from the dojo back into the living room.

They'd been searching the lair and sewer system for close to two hours without any trace of the missing six year old. Angela and Gwen searched most of the lair while Julie helped Ying-Su search the rest. Once Julie had gotten hold of Donatello and told him what had happened, he and his brothers instantly snapped into gear and started their search of the winding and confusing tunnels that made up their 'outside'. It was no use though; Elizabeth was nowhere to be found.

When the brothers returned to the lair, they were simultaneously verbally attacked by their wives and Ying-Su. In a strange way, they almost all found it rather amusing to see the girls so worked up. It wasn't unusual for the brothers to mess up and get their wives mad at them for some reason and any more it had almost become like a game for them. See who could get their wife the most upset and not be banished from the bedroom. The one not banished was deemed winner. This time was no different.

Raphael gave a smirk at his two younger brothers and watched as Angela walked out of the dojo behind Gwen. Strands of hair had fallen out of her ponytail and were falling down around her face and neck and if it weren't for the fact he was getting the look of death from her and Ying-Su, he would have found his wife to be undeniably alluring right then.

"And YOU Raph! You…you…ugh! No nookie for you! None! For…for…I dunno how long!" Angie exclaimed as she threw her arms in the air storming past him. He smirked and tried not to laugh as he mocked a defensive look.

"What I do? I was jist followin' Mikey."

"You still left the kids unsupervised and didn't tell us!" Angie yelled back as she looked under the kitchen table again for the eighth time.

"A'ight…fine…I screwed up. Are ya gonna make me sleep on da couch or somet'in' cuz Mikey's already been sent ta da couch an' I ain't sharin' it wid him!" Raph answered as he took a step away from Michelangelo who was inching closer to him. Giving his brother a hard shove back into Don, he growled and looked back at Angela as she frowned and stepped up next to him.

"No…but you still don't get any nookie for a long time." Crossing her arms and giving him a hard glare, she turned and stormed off into another room to check on their own children.

"Jerk…" Mike and Don grunted. Raph smirked triumphantly and shrugged as he started off towards the dojo.

As the boys all started to drift off their own ways, Ying-Su stood in the middle of the living room clutching tightly to the couch. Her daughter was missing and to her it seemed as if they didn't care anymore. Narrowing her eyes and clenching her fists, Ying-Su stormed up the stairs heading for the door. As she stood there looking the trying to figure out how it opened, the two pieces split apart again and slid to the side.

"Mommy! He can jump really high and really far! We even jumped over big buildings just like Superman!" Elizabeth exclaimed, smiling brightly from her perch in Leo's arms. Ying-Su gave a choked up gasp of surprised as she snatched her daughter away from Leo as he entered the lair and closed the door behind him. Liz was still clutching tightly to her doll as she smiled and hugged her mother.

"Oh Lizzie! Oh my sweetheart! Don't you ever worry me like that again! Understand? You had me so worried; I didn't know where you were or if you were alright!" Ying-Su cried as she kissed her daughters head repeatedly.

"I wanted to go find Daddy…" The little girl answered softly. Ying-Su paused as she looked to Leo who frowned and turned to head for the kitchen. Coming back out with a glass of water, he handed it to Ying, figuring she could use a drink after all she'd been through.

"Liz is fine. She's very lucky though…if I hadn't seen them, she'd still be out there with those men who were after your husband." He said as he turned to glare at his brothers crossly who had all silently poked their heads back into the living room when they heard him arrive home.

Raphael shrugged as he turned and went back into the dojo while Michelangelo cringed and ducked back into his make-shift game room where his three kids were playing. Donatello crossed his hands in front of him as he turned and walked back into his laboratory innocently whistling a tune he'd learned when he was a youngster and had become the song he'd hum or whistle when in trouble.

Sighing again and shaking his head, Leo watched his brothers disperse again before turning his attention back to Ying-Su. She was still clutching tightly to her daughter and he was seriously beginning to wonder when she planned on telling her that her father was dead. He had thought about telling her on their way back to the lair just to save from her trying to escape, but he thought better of it and decided it was best to let her mother do it. As Ying-Su set her daughter down with strict orders to go straight to their room, Leo stepped up next to her.

"Ying-Su? Those men who killed your husband were part of the mob; now why would they be after Elizabeth? What could she have that they want?"

Sighing heavily, Ying-Su shook her head as she hugged her arms around herself. "I really don't know. And to be completely honest with you, I don't even know why they killed Eddie. He hadn't been doing anything to make them go after him."

_Oh how little his wife actually knew_, Leo thought to himself as he frowned and crossed his arms.

"There had to be something. Something they want that she has, or she knows about, or they _think_ she has anyways."

Ying-Su shook her head again as she turned away from him and started for the couch. She refused to believe that her husband would risk his daughters' life like that. Not that he had anything to hide, because he didn't. He swore to her that he'd gone clean and no one was going to come after them anymore.

"There's nothing. There's just…there's nothing." Ying-Su insisted as she looked back up at Leo with worry and confusion still in her eyes. Frowning, Leo knitted his eye ridges in thought. There had to be some reason behind them trying to kidnap Elizabeth and for killing Edward, something important enough to attempt doing away with two people for. Eyes suddenly going wide, Leo dug into his belt and pulled out the piece of paper Edward had given to him before he died. Leo had been so caught up in trying to find his killers that he'd completely forgotten about it. Opening it, he held it out to Ying-Su.

"Would this have anything to do with it?"

Taking the piece of paper, Ying-Su's eyes began to well up with tears. Pressing her lips together, she shook her head and gently folded it back up.

"No…no that's just…" She paused as she sniffed back her tears and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "That's just a life insurance policy Edward had taken out on himself. Should anything happen to him, he wanted to be sure the kids and I would be well taken care of. This would mean nothing to those men. Their boss is rich enough to last him three life times…this would be chump-change to him. I really don't know why they're after Elizabeth but I know they are not going to get her."

* * *

"You had the girl in your hands and you let her go? You imbeciles!" The Wind exclaimed as he slammed his fists down on his antique desk. The three henchmen all jumped and shrank back slightly. They didn't like having been defeated once again by the green guy, and they liked it even less when they had to confront their boss about their failure.

His eyes narrowed into thin slits, The Wind walked around his desk and approached the three men. He'd known all of them his whole life almost and yet somehow it never ceased to amaze him at how unreliable they were and how inept they were at getting things done the way they were supposed to.

"You idiots don't seem to realize how important it is that we get this little girl, do you? If the feds find that doll…it's all over for us, all of us. Forget the fishes, Mickey, how would you like your mother, grandmother, and baby sister to watch you fry like the chicken you are?" He questioned, glaring hard at the little man before him. Mickey gulped hard and loosened the collar around his neck.

"I uh…I uh….uh…uh…I don't t'ink I'd like dat very much." He answered nervously. The Wind nodded as he put his hands behind his back and turned to go back behind his desk.

"That doll holds all the evidence Edward gathered against us, all of us. Every dirty deed, bad deal, and whack job we've done. There's enough evidence there to get us all the chair, and I intend on destroying that evidence at any cost." He said as he sat back down in his chair and lit another cigar. Taking a few long puffs on it, he slowly turned his chair back around so he was looking out the window again.

"The next time that turtle interferes…shoot to kill."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for this chapter. Hope you all haven't forgotten about me or think I've forgotten about you and the story. Cuz obviously I haven't. And now that I'm happily unemployeed and not so happily sick-as-a-dog...I have plenty of time to write! There is a tad bit of swearing in this chapter...not much...one word I think. Ummm...a slight hint of crude humor towards the end. And I think that's all for warning I need to give. Also, I threw in a nice little twist at the end and those of you have seen "Coming Out of Their Shells: Live!" will get what I threw in...those who haven't will probably be rather confused. lol...sorry. But...I suppose that's it for now. Next chapter hopefully be posted by Friday. But enjoy for now!!**

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Chapter Nine: Coming to an Understanding

Later that evening, Ying-Su emerged from the room she and the children shared to hear the faint sounds of sniffling coming from the living room. Curiosity getting the best of her, Ying slowly crept down the stairs only to find the smallest girl curled up on the couch softly crying as she rocked herself back and forth, all the while holding her ear. Frowning to herself, Ying-Su quickly went back up the stairs and into her room. After digging through a couple of their bags, she smiled softly and left the room once more. She had figured shortly after arriving that the little girl was suffering from a painful ear infection and she was suddenly grateful that her own son George was prone to them as well.

Moving into the kitchen area, Ying-Su found a dish towel along with a Ziploc© bag and set about making a home made heating pack. Soaking the towel in warm water for a moment, she placed it in the bag before emptying it of its excess air and closing it. After micro-waving it for a little over a minute, she wrapped it in another dry towel and moved back into the living room holding a little ear dropper, baby aspirin, and a glass of water also. Stepping up next to the couch, Ying-Su smiled sweetly and sat down next to the little girl.

"You're Delaney?" She asked pleasantly. Delaney sniffled and nodded as she continued to clutch her ear and rock back and forth.

"My name is Ying-Su…I'm a nurse. Would it be alright if I took a look at your ear? I may be able to help it feel a little better." Delaney thought about it for a moment before sniffling once more and scooting closer to Ying-Su.

"Otay…" She answered quietly. Giving a smile, Ying pulled a tiny keychain flashlight out of her pocket and gently tipped the little girls head to the side. After a brief examination of her ear, Ying sighed softly and showed Delaney the ear drops.

"I give these to my son, George; he gets ear aches all the time. These help make them go away. Would you like me to try them on you too?" Delaney nodded again as she bit her lip in hopes of keeping herself from crying. Giving the little girl a reassuring smile, Ying carefully put three little drops of medicine into her ear before placing the heating pack against it.

"Ok, Delaney. I want you to do me a favor and just lay down on your other side so that little pack on your ear is looking up at the ceiling, ok? And here, this will help make the pain go away too." She said, handing Delaney two grape flavored Children's Tylenol and the glass of water. After making sure the little girl took the medicine and laid down, Ying-Su gave a little smile and stood up.

A sound from behind her caused Ying to turn and give a small gasp of surprise. Julie and her "assistant" Doogie were standing in the doorway to Donatello's laboratory silently listening to what was going on. Giving a little smile, Julie gave a gentle tug on Doogie's harness before starting towards the couch.

"Thank you for helping Laney. I was actually coming out to check on her myself." Julie said as she stopped in front of Ying-Su, the smile still on her face. Ying-Su looked down at the floor for a moment as she shrugged.

"I'm a nurse…it's what we do." She answered nonchalantly. Julie gave a slight tilt of her head before turning towards the kitchen.

"Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? The others have all gone to bed and Don's too wrapped up in his latest project to talk so…it'd be nice to have someone to talk to for awhile." She said as she and Doogie set about making a couple cups of coffee. Lifting her head, Ying-Su narrowed her eyes in suspicion before allowing her features to fall and her shoulders to slump.

"A cup of coffee sounds great right now." She answered tiredly as she moved to follow the other woman and her dog. Julie smiled to herself as she set a cup down on the table and moved to get her own.

"Cream and sugar?"

"Uh…no, that's alright."

"I have to have my cream and sugar. I can't stand straight up coffee. The boys though? Well…Mikey and Don anyways…they could drink it straight out of the bean if it were possible. No wonder Mike's so hyper all the time." Julie said, chuckling softly as she poured the sugar and cream into her coffee before sitting down across from Ying-Su. Ying took a small sip from her coffee and allowed a little smile to spread across her lips as the bitter warmth moved through her body.

After a moment of silence, Julie set her cup down and leaned against the table, her arms folded in front of her.

"I want to apologize, Ying-Su, for the way we've treated you. It's really not like us to treat people the way we did. For the most part we're good about behaving; we're just not used to unexpected company. I know that's no excuse but…heh…when you've lived in a lair with this group as long as we all have, you get rather territorial." Julie said, offering a playful smile as she reached for her mug of coffee once more. Ying-Su frowned and set her own mug down.

"How long have you all been down here?"

"Oh gosh…let's see…Gwen's been down here the longest. She's been down here probably a good eight or nine years I think…maybe ten, I'm not to sure when exactly she moved in. Angie's been down here about eight. And I've been down here for nearly five and a half now. The guys though have spent their whole lives down here."

Ying-Su looked down at her hands. She had spent most of the day locked away in the room with her daughter, trying to explain to the little girl why it was so dangerous for her to go wandering on her own like she had and why her daddy wasn't going to be coming home. After holding Elizabeth as she cried and begged for her daddy to be "un-dead" and having fallen asleep, Ying took some time to think about the way she had been acting towards the others in the lair.

She remembered hearing stories of the way her parents had been treated when they arrived from Japan, the way people looked down on them, snubbed them in the super market, and hardly gave them a warm welcoming to their neighborhood and she realized she'd been treating Julie and the other's exactly the same way. It made her blood run cold when she realized this and she vowed to learn more about these people and try to except them for who and what they are.

Looking back up and gently biting her lower lip, Ying-Su glanced back into the living room where Delaney was sleeping soundly on the couch before turning her attention back to Julie.

"I don't want to sound rude, like I was earlier, I'm just so confused right now and suddenly getting thrust into all of this just…it somewhat is overwhelming, you know?" Ying asked softly.

Julie smiled and reached down to scratch Doogie's ears.

"Oh trust me, we all know. Take Gwen and Angie for example. Gwen was a floral clerk at a grocery store when she literally stumbled upon Mike. She went from being completely alone to having a 21 year-old male turtle living in her house. And from the way _her_ story sounds it was only after Mike showed up that things went crazy in her life. Angie was _really_ thrown into this mix apparently. She moved with Gwen from Illinois so that her best friend wouldn't be wandering the city alone. And when they got here…well…heh…Raph didn't give her such a warm reception." Julie explained chuckling lightly as she thought about the first time she'd heard these tales herself. Ying-Su knitted her eyebrows together as she took another sip of coffee.

"What about you though?"

Smiling, Julie shrugged and gulped down the last of her cup.

"I guess I was lucky. Plus, I adapt easily…probably comes from being blind. But Don and Raph were my saving grace one night. So actually, we had a fairly…um…'normal' you might say…courtship. For a guy who is so hooked on technology, he's actually pretty old fashioned in the line of romance. That's another story though."

Biting her lip again, Ying-Su gathered her courage and began questioning Julie about their relationships with the turtles; trying to understand fully how the three had met their partners. For the better part of two hours, the two women sat in the kitchen talking and getting to know each other; Ying-Su firing off questions after question while Julie answered them as honestly and completely as she could.

Julie could tell that Ying-Su was finally making an effort to figure things out and she was going to make sure she helped as best as she could. She did have a bit of a struggle answering a couple of the questions Ying wanted answers to though. They were two questions Julie didn't feel she had the proper knowledge to give a good answer to.

"How could you have healthy children?" Ying-Su asked, questioning how the turtle DNA and human DNA could have mixed. Julie sighed and shrugged.

"I'm honestly not sure. Don's been tossing around the idea that when they were mutated and took on human characteristics, their genetic build-up was also altered to take on human characteristics. But not even he is certain on that yet. He's been trying to figure it out for years…ever since Gwen got pregnant." Julie answered softly since the rest of the lair had fallen into the silence of late night.

Ying knitted her brows together in confusion and tilted her head as she raised her pointer finger.

"But…I thought Casey was oldest…and he's Angela and Raph's son."

"He is. Sorry…I probably shouldn't have brought up that. That's a story best untold. It's not because we don't want you to know, it's because…well…no one talks about it. Especially not around Leo, Mike, and Gwen. Just leave it at this…thank God that you have three beautiful, healthy children that no one tried to steal from you before you had the chance to know them."

Confused by the cryptic message hidden in there, Ying-Su frowned but decided not the push the issue further. If they one day wanted to tell her, she was sure they would. In the mean time though, she was still just a guest and outsider to their little hidden underground world. Looking down at her hands, another difficult question popped into Ying's head.

"Why doesn't Leo have his own family, like his brothers?"

Sighing heavily, Julie sat back in her chair to stretch out her back some as she raised her own arms in question. Sitting back upright, Julie tilted her head to one side before resting her elbows on the table again.

"I'm not sure. None of us are, really. He's great with the kids, has patience enough to become a _saint_…even puts me to shame some days and I'm the most laid-back of any of us! He doesn't think we notice, but…we all have seen…ok lemme rephrase that…we've all noticed how he acts with the kids."

"What do you mean? How does he act? I mean, I know how gentle he's treated mine and that's why I'm curious as to why he doesn't have any of his own." Ying said, sitting up a little straighter in her own seat.

"That's just it. He loves the kids. He's just too preoccupied with trying to still play the teams 'Fearless Leader' to allow himself enough grace to set some time aside for himself and find someone for himself. He's a watcher…sometimes I think he and Don are the real twins and not him and Raph. He watches the world, the people in and around it, and when something unjustifiable comes up, he does his best to set it right again. Which is probably one reason why he's been helping you and your kids.

And to be honest with you—I'm not saying this to try and scare you or to pressure you or anything—aside from us girls who already live here and our friend April, you are the _only_ woman Leo has ever brought down here for protection…not to mention the fact you and your kids are the only other people allowed in his room. His bedroom is his own private sanctuary…it's almost…well, kind of a goofy way to look at it but what the heck…it's almost holy to him." Julie paused as a small smile moved across her lips and she moved to stand. Giving Doogie a rousing nudge, she grasped his leash and turned back to Ying-Su.

"Maybe if you open your heart and mind a little, you can help to teach Leo that having a family of his own wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. I'm gonna turn in. You should think about it, though…really. It was nice talking to you, Suzie. G'night." And without another word Julie and Doogie retreated back into Donatello's lab, leaving Ying-Su alone at the table with her thoughts.

She was amazed at how much she really had learned about their tight-knit family, and how much better she understood them each after her talk with Julie. Ying also felt a twinge of guilt at how badly she treated them and judged them before getting to know more about them. Though she still wasn't so sure about the last bit Julie had said to her, about helping to teach Leo to let someone in. Leonardo was an entirely different problem Ying knew she had to work out.

Getting up, she said as she moved for the room she had last seen Leo enter.

* * *

Julie smirked as she stepped up next to Donatello at his work station. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she leaned down to lightly kiss the top of his head. Don smiled as he placed his hand over hers and set his screwdriver down.

"You were gone a lot longer than I thought you would be. How'd it go?" He asked, turning to face her and take both her hands in his. The smile on his wife's face was all he needed to know how it went.

"It went pretty well I think. Gwen and Angie would never have been able to pull it off. But…I think…I think I actually got through to her. Maybe by the time all this is done and over with, Leo won't be such a stick in the mud and finally be able to do something to help him release all his pent up…uh…tension." Julie answered an even bigger playful smile on her face. Don laughed and he hugged her close to him and kissed her small hand in his.

"That'd be a nice change. But um…speaking of releasing pent up 'tension'…any chance we can--"

"Nope. You're still sleeping down here, Buster Brown." She answered as she pulled back from him slightly. Don raised an eye ridge and smirked evilly.

"Hey…I never said anything about sleeping." He quipped back playfully as his hands landed on her hips. Mocking shock and embarrassment, Julie swatted his hands away and moved for the door.

"So it's true what they say after all. You really _do_ have to look out for the quiet ones. And you, Donatello, are horrible! I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Jules. Love ya." Don called to her back quietly before chuckling and turning back to his work station.

* * *

As Ying-Su entered the wide open space of their dojo, she was amazed at what she saw before her. Never before had she seen such a wide array of weapons and training equipment outside of a gym and weapons shop. What surprised her most of all though was the sight of Leo's shadowy figure leaning against the wall, his head back and eyes closed as his fingers moved silently but swiftly over what appeared to be a make-shift bass guitar. She never once pictured him as the type to play an instrument, or to even be musically inclined. Maybe there really was more to him than he wanted to let show.

Coughing softly to let him know she was there, Ying watched and Leo slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. Leo felt his cheeks redden for the first time in a long time as he realized he was still playing. Setting his guitar to the side, he sat up a little straighter and folded his arms over his chest.

"I didn't know you could play. That's…cool." Ying said, trying not to sound too gawky-teenage-girlish. Leo gave a small smile as he shrugged.

"I don't play nearly as much as I used to. None of us do. But I'm sure that's not why you're still awake at three o'clock in the morning, is it?" Leo answered solemnly. Shaking her head, Ying-Su took another step closer and folded her hands in front of her.

"No…um…I wanted to apologize, for the way I've treated you and your family. It was uncalled for. You've all just been trying to help and I've been nothing but a thorn in your side and…frankly I've been a bitch." She said earnestly. Leo chuckled softly as he nodded and looked back up at her.

"I wasn't going to say it…but yeah…you have a little bit. But it's to be expected. Your husband was killed, I show up mysteriously and force you and your children into hiding…you're entitled to be protective and defensive."

Ying nodded slightly as she looked at the floor before looking back at him.

"I just wanted to apologize and thank you for helping us. And I want you to know that, I want to do whatever I can to help you find the men who murdered Eddie."

Getting up to put his guitar back in its hiding place, Leo gave her a small smile as he nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder gently. It almost surprised him when she didn't move away from him or even flinch. In a way, it was rather refreshing to him.

"Thank you, Ying-Su. And you're welcome. But you really should get some sleep before the kids start waking up and the madhouse starts all over again. Sleep well." He said as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before moving for the mats he had laid out on the other side of the dojo. Ying nodded slightly as a strange and slight flutter went through her stomach at his gentle gesture and kind words of concern.

"You too…Leo."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Woo! I think this might be my longest chapter yet! Go me! Anyways...the mob has spoken and the winning title for my little series here is ::drum roll:: "TMNT: Family Ties" by a whopping four votes! Runner up was "TMNT: Family Values" with 3 votes. A close race. ,':0) Anyways...I wrote this chapter while on a total Van Halen kick so there's a few times where Van Halen is mentioned--and the song Casey is singing is a VH version. So sadly I don't own Van Halen or any of their songs...heck, I don't even own a CD of their's...just a bunch of songs I downloaded the other night. lol. So...enjoy!!! Please don't forget to review.**

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Chapter Ten: Time for a Plan

The following afternoon, as the kids occupied themselves with games and toys, Leo and the rest of the adults sat around the kitchen table struggling to come up with ideas as to why the mobsters would be after Liz. Nothing seemed to make sense to them. Liz was only six years old and knew nothing of the life her father used to live. The only thing she knew was that bad men had taken her daddy from her and now were trying to take her from her mommy.

Each of the adults tried to offer suggestions that might help either figure out why the mobsters were after her, or ways to help Ying-Su at least get her children somewhere safe. Michelangelo's suggestion was that they just stay down there with them. When he saw the panic look appear in Ying's eyes, he quickly quieted himself and went back to staring at the table top in thought.

It wasn't necessarily the idea of living in the sewers that bothered Ying-Su so much anymore, in the time she had been down there she realized the odor from the tunnels never made it into the living area of the lair and that every comfort she had topside she also had in there, it was the thought of her children never getting to play in the fresh air and sunshine again. All three of her kids loved to play in their backyard, especially in the summer time when they could run about barefoot and feel the soft blades of the summer grass between their toes. Edward would pitch a tent in the backyard on those warm balmy nights and the five of them would pretend to be camping out in the far exotics of Africa or South America. Playing adventures such as that had always been Elizabeth's favorite thing to do with her father.

Ying felt her eyes start to weld up once more as she thought about all the times her daughter and Edward would spend sprawled out on the floor of the living room with National Geographic's and world Atlases spread out before them planning their greatest adventure ever. On the wall of Elizabeth's room topside was a large map of the world dotted with push pins and red string marking out their route. A route that would take them from the congested streets of Manhattan to the lush emerald green fields of Ireland and England then to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the leaning tower in Pisa Italy, Mt. Olympus in Greece, the Nile River and Great Pyramids of Egypt, the great Taj Mahal in India to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne Australia, even to the Amazon River in Brazil and to the white sand beaches of the Bahamas before going back to New York.

"Ying-Su? You still with us?" Don questioned, noticing the far off look on her face. Blinking a few times, Ying quickly wiped at her eyes before nodding.

"Yes…sorry." She answered softly, forcing the lump in her throat to go back down.

"What do you think Leo? Think it might work?" Gwen asked, leaning over her husband's shoulder to look at her brother-in-law.

Leo knitted his eye ridges together in thought for a moment before frowning slightly. Giving a small sigh, he shook his head before looking back up at Gwen.

"Tricking the mob is a risky thing to do. I don't want to put anyone else in danger. But I don't think we have much choice in the matter anymore. If we want to figure out what these guys want, we may just have to. But who do we use as bait? I'm not about to put Elizabeth in anymore danger." Leo answered, rubbing his neck in thought.

"What about Tabby? Their hair is almost the same color." Mike suggested, looking up again and shrugging. Leo shook his head and glanced at his brother.

"She's not tall enough. She's at least a good three inches shorter than Liz."

"Oh…"

"Besides, if anything happened and she needed to defend herself…she really wouldn't be able to without Chip being there to help." Leo pointed out.

"Oh yeah. Well…who's about her height and able to defend themselves on their own?" Mike questioned, looking at the others. Raphael frowned for a second before giving a slightly mischievous smirk.

"I know who…"

* * *

"How come _I_ have to do it?! Why can't Tabby-Cat? She looks more like Lizzie then I do! 'Sides…she's a _girl_!"

"Casey, stop squirming! You and your Uncle Leo need to get going. Now hold still so I can get this wig on you right!" Angie exclaimed, struggling to get her oldest son to hold still. Cheeks burning a bright shade of reddish-green, Casey clamped his eyes closed and tried to ignore the laughter and snickers coming from his younger cousins and brother.

"Casey looks purty mama!" Chris laughed, as he danced behind his mother mischievously. Still laughing, the little boy danced right into the plastron of his none-to-amused looking father. Looking up, Chris quickly stopped laughing and scooted off behind Chip.

"Go 'head an' keep laughin' Chris…yer next." Raph threatened before turning and walking off. Gulping, Chris glanced at his other cousins before turning and sulking off to the TV to play video games.

Trying not to snicker himself, Leo coughed loudly and stepped forward to compare the two children. Nodding, he patted Casey's shoulder reassuringly. It wasn't an exact match, Casey was right in saying Tabitha would have been a better fit, but if all things went well, no one would be able to get close enough to really tell the difference anyway. Glancing back at Elizabeth, Leo gave a small smile and knelt before her.

"Lizzie? Would it be alright if we borrowed Molly for a little while?" He asked pointing to the little doll clutched tightly in her arms.

"No way, Uncle Leo! Dressing me up like a girl is one thing! I'm _not _carrying some dumb doll too!" Casey protested his eyes wide. Elizabeth turned her gaze from Leo to the boy standing behind him.

"Molly is NOT a dumb doll!! She's special! My daddy even told me so and he _never_ lied to me." She spat back, pain and venom in her voice. Casey rolled his eyes and shook his head as he moved for the kitchen for a drink. Leo offered the little girl a little smile as he nodded.

"I'm certain she is special. Which is why we need her help."

"No! Molly never goes anywhere without me! You can't take her from me!" Liz exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes. Sighing, Leo nodded and stood back up. Gently placing a large hand on her tiny shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Alright. We won't take her." Starting for the stairs, Leo motioned for Casey to follow him. Groaning, the seven year old boy drug his feet across the floor, tugging and pulling at the clothes he'd been forced into.

"I still don't think it's fair…" He mumbled as he glared down at the floor.

"Don't worry, Casey. No one is going to know who you are." Leo said before looking back at Angie who appeared rather nervous at the whole idea.

"And don't worry yourself either, Angie…I'll be shadowing him just in case anything should happen. We'll be back soon." With that said, Leo turned and left the lair with Casey grumbling and reluctantly following close behind.

As the odd pair made their way quickly and quietly topside, Leo silently wondered if this would truly work or not. He also began to question Casey's ability to defend himself. True the boy had proved he was more than capable of defending himself against his younger adversaries and the blows his uncles and father threw at him—but that was only done in partial force and only in practice. Leo silently wondered if his young nephew would be able to hold his own long enough against those mobsters long enough for him to get down and help.

"Uncle Leo? Why do _I_ have to be the one to do this? Why couldn't Lizzie do it herself?" Casey questioned softly as the two exited the sewers into a deserted alley way. Trying hard not to sigh, Leo looked at his nephew.

"You are the oldest of the children and sometimes the oldest has to do things they don't particularly want to do. Believe me, I know. Besides that, you are the most trained in battle tactics should anything happen." He answered, checking to make sure everything was just so with his nephew's disguise before giving a curt nod.

"That should do it. Now remember, I'll be following you from the rooftops in case anything happens. Just make sure you try to look lost, ok?"

"I'm dressed like a girl and topside, I'm beyond lost right now." Casey quipped as he started for the street. Allowing himself a small chuckle, Leo climbed to the top of the nearest building and began his shadowing of the decoy Liz.

For nearly an hour, Casey wandered aimlessly through the side streets and back alleys of the roughest part in Manhattan in hopes of helping his uncle solve this mystery. He still didn't enjoy the fact he'd been dressed as a girl, but he was starting to like the idea of being able to walk around and explore the places he'd only heard of in stories without anyone paying too much attention to him.

Soon, Casey nearly forgot what he was supposed to be doing when he stopped to admire a toy store window. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. There were more toys in that small area than he'd ever seen in his life. Not too mention tons of sports equipment just calling for him to come and get them. His fingers itches at his sides, he quickly glanced around to make sure no one was looking before stepping up and trying the door. _Locked! Drat! Just my luck…_He thought to himself as he sadly turned and trudged off once more.

Continuing down the ever darkening streets, Casey sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked around for anything that might not be right. Though, having never been topside before, he wasn't quite sure what was considered right and what wasn't. Gnawing at his lower lip a little, he began to hum to himself to keep his mind from playing tricks on him.

"Pretty woman, walkin' down the street, pretty woman, the kind I'd like to meet, pretty woman, I don't believe you, it must be true, no one could look as good as you, pretty woman, won't you pardon me, pretty woman, I couldn't help but see, pretty woman…" He sang softly, not sure what the lyrics meant but enjoying the tune that they were sung to. Little did Casey realize that as he was singing to himself, a pair of beady eyes were watching him from a darkened alley.

"Look! Dere she is again! An' dat toitle guy ain't nowhere near 'er! Let's get 'er Tony!!" Mickey exclaimed, jumping and starting for the street. Tony glanced in the direction his shorter companion was heading and quickly reached out to stop him. Grabbing Mickey by the shoulders with his oversized meaty hands, Tony yanked him back into the shadows.

"You dim-wit! Look! She ain't got da doll. What good ta us is she if she ain't got da doll?" He questioned, smacking the shorter one upside the head. Yelping out in pain, Mickey ducked away from the giant and glared harshly at him.

"I dunno! Maybe…maybe she got da chip on 'er or somet'ing."

Joey the Rat looked up from his magazine and gave off a string of grunts and grumbles as he shook his head. Blinking a few times, Mickey looked between the mute and giant and shrugged.

"Ey…it was just a t'ought. How do ya know she ain't figured out 'er dolls hot?"

"Cuz she's a kid…kids are stupid." Tony grumbled as he shook his head and started for the opposite end of the alley.

"C'mon da both of yas…let's go get somet'in' ta eat before we go back an' get murdered."

* * *

Leo sighed as he laid the sleeping Casey down on the couch in the living area once the pair had returned home. They had been out wandering the city for nearly five hours which was more than the little boy was used to. Leo had to admit Casey did a good job of wandering unfamiliar territory and still being able to keep his bearings and remember the exact manhole they had originally emerged from. It went to show that allowing the children to wander the sewer from time to time paid off. The children considered it an adventure, Leo and the others however knew it was all part of their ninja training.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it as Splinter emerged from his meditation room, tea cup in his paws. Noticing his sleeping 'grandson' on the couch, the gentle old rat smiled softly and nodded his greeting to Leonardo. Bowing in a respectful greeting back, Leo turned to follow his father into the kitchen.

"Something bothers you, my son." Splinter stated softly, pouring himself another cup of green tea. Giving a faint smile, Leo nodded as he removed a mug from their cupboard and set it next to Splinter's.

"I can't figure out why these mobsters are after Elizabeth. Actually, apparently they aren't after her at all. They want her doll. It's supposed to have a chip or something in it. I saw the three thugs that caught Liz when she went up before and heard them talk about it. I just wish I knew what was so important about this chip that they'd kill her father and then try to take her." Leo answered, shaking his head as he poured himself a cup of tea. Splinter nodded in silent thought before placing a hand on his oldest son's shoulder.

"Perhaps, now would be the time to find out." He said before shuffling back to his room. Knitting his eye ridges in thought, Leo silently wondered what his father was meaning as he slowly sipped his tea. Thinking about it for a moment, he quickly stood and moved up the stairs. It was well past ten o'clock which meant the kids were all in bed asleep, Ying-Su's included. Stepping up to his bedroom door, he raised his fist and gently tapped hoping he didn't wake the kids but also that Ying-Su was still awake.

A moment or two later, just when Leo was about to turn and leave, the door cracked open and Ying-Su peeked out at him. He could tell from the dim glow coming from within that she had relit his meditation candles, probably to serve as a make shift night light for the children. Of course, then again, Leo had noted the abundance of Japanese artifacts in their home when he'd been there earlier so he supposed it was possible she also practiced meditation.

"What did you find out?" She asked quietly, slipping out the door and wrapping her robe tighter around herself to ward off the chill. It took Leo a full minute to finally regain himself and answer her. It was the first time he'd seen Ying-Su dressed as she was in her sky blue satin pajamas and lavender robe. It was also the first time Leo felt his heart constrict to the point of it nearly being painful. Gulping, he felt his cheeks turn a slight shade of red as he quickly looked away in order to clear his mind before hesitantly looking back at her.

"It's not Liz at all they want. They want a chip that's apparently in her doll. Is there anyway you could get the doll and bring it downstairs for Don to check out?" He asked, suddenly uncomfortable. Ying knitted her eyebrows together for a moment before glancing back at the door.

"I can try to. Liz usually keeps a good hold on Molly though. But I'll see what I can do. Give me a minute and I'll—"

"Take your time. Just bring it down to Don's lab if you can get it away from her." Leo said, cutting her off mid-sentence as he turned to go back down the stairs. Frowning to herself, Ying watched his quick retreat back down to the lower level and couldn't help but wonder if there was more he wasn't telling her or if he was just shutting himself off to everyone to ensure he doesn't get attached. Shrugging it off, Ying turned and reentered his room in hopes of prying the little doll from her daughters grasp.

Moving down the stairs, his heart beating almost as fast as if he'd just spent three straight hours practicing, Leo turned and headed for Donatello's lab. He was sure his genius brother was still awake so he didn't bother knocking. Stepping into the lab that was lit only with the blue glow from the computer screen, Leonardo felt a chuckle escape his lips. Don was seated in front of his computer with a large pair of headphones on, swaying back and forth in his chair with music blasting from the earphones. But below the muffled music, Leo could just make out the words Don was mumbling/humming.

"A live wire, barely a beginner, But just watch that lady go, She's on fire 'cause dancing gets her higher, Than anything else she knows. Ooh, baby, baby, Won't you turn your head my way? Ooh, baby, baby, Well don't skip romance 'cause your old enough to, Dance the night away, Dance the night away..."

Chuckling, Leo stepped forward and tapped his younger brothers' shoulder.

"Pretending you're Eddie Van Halen again, little brother?" Leo teased light heartedly. Jumping and tossing his headphones off, Don grasped at his plastron and glared up at his older brother.

"Gee thanks Leo. You just scared five years off my life." He complained, struggling to catch his breath. Smirking, Leo shook his head as he leaned against Don's work bench.

"Sorry, Don. I forgot you put little concerts on for yourself when you think everyone is sleeping." Leo teased. Making a face, Don turned his attention back to his computer and turned the volume down as "Right Now" started up.

"I do not. I just happen to enjoy listening to Van Halen and when everyone is sleeping seems to be the best time to do it because I don't have people disrupting me nor do I have a four year old trying to tear apart my computer to try and see where I'm hiding the band." Don retorted as he turned to face his older brother. "What's up?"

Sighing, Leo shook his head as he crossed his arms and stood up straight again. He couldn't tell Don what he'd suddenly felt while he was up talking to Ying-Su—it would make him seem like a hypocrite. Yet he still wanted to know if what he felt was what his brother's had all felt when they were near their wives. Taking another deep calming breath, he shook his head again.

"Hopefully in a moment Ying-Su will be coming down with Elizabeth's doll. I want you to take a look at it and see if there's a micro-chip of some kind hidden in it. And if there is, I want to know what's on it." He said, slowly pacing his second youngest brother's laboratory. Raising an eye ridge, Don watched Leo's strange behavior before giving a sly little smirk.

"Oh…ok then. No problem. Hey, speaking of Ying-Su…I think she's finally starting to adjust to being down here. I mean, she even saw Master Splinter while you were out and her reaction to him was 'Oh…a rat…of course. Why not have a rat as a father…' and then struck up a conversation with him. So ya know…maybe she could stay down here. I mean, ya know, if things don't improve topside that is." Don said, carefully studying his brother's features for any sign that might betray Leo's cool demeanor.

"She doesn't belong down here, Donatello." Came Leo's response.

"None of the girls do, but here they are." Don answered, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his plastron. "C'mon Leo, what are you so afraid of?"

Stopping dead in his tracks, Leo turned to face Don.

"I'm not afraid of anything. The sewer is no place for her or her children. Once I get The Wind and his men taken care of she's going back up where she belongs."

"Leo, think about it. None of us belong down here! Especially not the kids or girls for that matter. I think you're just afraid that if you actually allow yourself to fall in love that you would lose our respect or that it would make you less of a leader. Well, I've got news for you Oh Fearless One…you're scared to death of Ying-Su right now, aren't you?" Smirking at his older brother's silence, Donatello decided to continue his psychological attack, hoping to break through to something.

"Wanna know how I could tell? When I asked you what was up, you suddenly tensed and began pacing my lab. You only used to do that when we were younger and you wanted to talk to me about something but thought I'd laugh at you. Next, when you mentioned Ying-Su coming down, you're eyes flickered like they would when you were suppressing your fear while battling the Shredder. Then as you were talking about her going back up, I heard the hint of pain and resentment at the thought of her not being here anymore. You can't fool me, Leo. I can read you like a book still." He finished, still smirking.

Leo struggled to keep his cool as he turned to face the younger turtle. He hated the way his brother did that. Taking a few steps closer to him, Leo was about to say something when a movement at the door caught his attention.

"It wasn't an easy task but, I managed to nab it." Ying-Su said as she entered the lab. Stealing a quick glance at Leo, Don smirked when he saw a single bead of sweat creep down into the folds of his blue bandana.

"Alright then…let's see what we've got here." Don stated as he took the doll and carefully began looking it over. He could feel the tension in the air as Ying took a step closer to Leo and knew that his brother was using all his self-control to keep him from turning and running.

Turning the doll over in his hands, Don pulled the collar of the dress down around the neck to examine its back. There, just below the neck line was a small incision that had been recently sown shut. Picking up his pocket knife, Don carefully re-cut it and inserted his needle nosed pliers. A moment later, a small smile appeared on his face as he removed a tiny black chip.

"Yup…that's a computer chip alright. Fun to play with, terrible with dip though." He said, holding it up for the others to see. Smiling, Don looked up into the dumbfounded looks of his brother and Yin-Su.

"I have the feeling this is what those sleazeballs were after. How about you two?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the dely everyone, please don't hate me. I've had a lot on my plate lately and on top of it all developed a nasty case of writer's block. ::blushes:: But...after quite a few weeks of writing and re-writing and re-re-writing...I finally have chapter 11 finished. There's only one chapter left though sadly before I can start work on the next story. Which by the way...if you haven't done it yet...go to my profile and vote on which one you want next. Oh and if you're interested in reading a really crappy fanfic I wrote years ago for the movie "Van Helsing" go check that out also...it's called "Way Back Home". Ok...here ya go. Enjoy it. And thanks everyone for stickin' with me for so long. Means a lot.**

* * *

::Chapter dedication: My beloved Kayla-Baby. You'll be missed sorely, Muggle Mutt. Go find Tuffy and drag him around the biggest front yard ever, Pupster. May 1992 -to- January2008::

Chapter Eleven: Honoring a Promise

::Leo's POV::

I can't say I was surprised when I saw Don pull that chip from Molly's neck, caught off guard maybe, but not really surprised. It actually kind of made sense really, once I started thinking about it. How many movies had Mike made me watch with him were the jewels or really important things were hidden in a child's toy for protection? To be perfectly honest with you, I was actually more surprised by the fact that Don is still able to read me well enough to put me on edge.

That's actually a rather unsettling thought that no matter how hard I try to cover my feelings up, Don is still able to figure me out. It does make me wonder though, how many times he sensed my fear and concern for their well being during battles with the Foot or Purple Dragon Gang and yet still went out to fight anyways. Either he trusted my judgment enough to do as I told him to do, or he knew if he didn't do as I said it would give himself away.

But perhaps an even more unsettling thought was that I couldn't seem to get Ying-Su off my mind. Even as I was jumping from building to building on my way to confront The Wind and his lousy henchmen, she was there invading my thoughts. What I was planning on doing was dangerous enough, the last thing I needed was her face and voice distracting me.

I shook my head in hopes of getting rid of my thoughts of her before approaching the worn out warehouse the mob called 'home.' It looked as though it had been burnt from the inside out at one point in time before it was abandoned, left for the homeless and mindless thugs to take over. I still wasn't sure this plan would work, but I was determined to at least try.

Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and slowly entered the semi-dark building. I could hear people whispering around me and figured the majority of them were homeless men and women settling down for the night out of view of the patrolling policemen. Following my instincts, I slowly moved silently through the shadows until I heard the familiar voices of the three henchmen.

"B-But Boss! W-We've been lookin' fer 'er!! Dey's disappeared!"

"I don't want your excuses Mickey, I want that chip and I want that turtle who is always interfering dead! My patience with you three is growing very thin."

"Boss…we been lookin' for 'im but, he ain't been 'round much eithah. One minute 'e's dere an' den da next…he ain't. It's like…like 'e's a ghost or somet'in'."

Hearing that brought a small smile to my face. So I had ranked up quite the reputation of being rather ghostly, had I? They weren't the first group to consider my actions and ways of appearing/disappearing like that of a phantom being. I took a step forward, silently unsheathing my katanas as The Wind spat on the ground and crossed himself.

"Don you ever say that again, Tony. You understand? He isn't a ghost; he's just as real as I am."

I couldn't help myself from smirking as I heard those words live his lips. Narrowing my eyes slightly, I stepped into the light.

"Are you sure about that?" I growled, my head bent low to give me a more sinister appearance. I inwardly smiled to myself when I heard Tony and Mickey give a slight yelp of surprise.

"H-H-H-Hey Boss!! It…it's dat toitle guy!!" Mickey exclaimed shakily, his face sheet white and dotted with beads of sweat. I felt the urge to roll my eyes and give a snide remark back at the shorter man, but chose not to when I saw Tony reaching for his gun. Turning my attention to the larger man, I went into defense mode.

* * *

"Now can we jump in? Huh? Can we?"

"Quiet down, Mike! Leo told us to wait for his cue and that's what we're going to do." Donatello whispered, watching from the rooftop above. From his left he heard the low grumble of Raphael and knew his older brother wasn't happy to being forced into following the rules for once.

The three brothers continued to watch Leo battle the three mobsters as The Wind stood in the protection of shadows. So caught up in battling the others, Leo didn't even notice when the head mobster pulled a rather long revolver from his pocket and start to take aim.

"Ya know Don…I ain't likin' these odds." Raph growled, noticing how many weapons the thugs seemed to be pulling out of thin air.

"Yeah…neither am I."

"_Now_ can we jump in?" Mike asked, fidgeting with his nunchakus. Seeing the quick glint of light reflect off the hand gun, Don's eyes widened before nodding.

"Now we can jump in."

* * *

I hated to admit that the three henchmen were getting the upper hand on me. Not that they were better than me, because they weren't. My mind was just cluttered with other thoughts instead of being clear like it should have been in order for me to easily defeat them. So to say that I wasn't happy to hear the glass skylight above shatter and my youngest brother's infamous war-cry of "Cowabunga" would be a complete lie.

It brought a smile to my face to see the looks of utter confusion and surprise appear on the faces of my enemies when the three of them landed skillfully around them. Giving a small shrug, I smirked and presented my katanas once more in a self-defense stance.

"You guys haven't met my brother's have you?" I couldn't help but taunt.

The battle that ensued after that was nothing more than a blur of movements and sounds to me. I could see my brothers fighting their own attackers while my attention turned to chasing down The Wind. I saw him go running for the back of the warehouse and knew that I couldn't let him get away. Bolting off after him, I flipped myself into the air and landed effortlessly in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Get out of my way, you freak!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you pay for the death of Edward Young." I growled my eyes narrowed into thin slits. I saw the flash of fear flicker across his face before it turned stone hard and he pulled a chain from his pocket.

"You're going to regret this…_turtle_."

* * *

"Will someone please explain to me why we're the one's getting our tails kicked?" Michelangelo questioned as he deflected a two-by-four moving straight for his head.

"Jist shuddup and keep yer eyes open!" Raphael exclaimed, spin-kicking Tony as hard as he could in hopes of bringing the big man down. Grunting out, Tony moved with surprising speed as he turned, his large arm swinging around and knocked Raphael right off his feet.

"Way to keep your eyes open there, Raph." Donatello retorted quickly dodging a blow from Joey and dropping down to kick the man's legs out from under him.

"Do ya idiots always talk dis much?" Mickey questioned as he brought the two-by-four down on Michelangelo's shell hard causing him to stumble forward.

"We do it in hopes of throwing you off. Is it working?" Michelangelo asked as he caught his balance once more and moved to the side before he could be hit once more.

The boys fought with every skill they possessed and still it seemed the mobsters were somehow able to get the upper hand on them. The three younger brothers were too caught up in their own battles to notice that Leo was quickly fighting himself into a corner away from them. It wasn't until the sound of gun shot echoing off the empty walls froze everyone that they realized the danger their oldest brother had been in.

Everyone's heads turned and watched as Leonardo's body slumped to the floor. In movements most befitting of trained ninja masters, Raphael and his brothers sprung from their places and raced to assist their fallen brother. Guarding him with weapons drawn and eyes narrowed, Michelangelo and Raphael growled low in their throats while Donatello looked over the damage. There were multiple cuts and bruises but what really boiled the normally pacifist brother's blood was the bullet wound in Leo's shoulder, just above his plastron. Carefully rolling him over, he saw that the bullet had managed to make it half-way out of his brother's carapace before it got stuck.

"Alright you freaks…hand over the doll."

"Yeah! Hand it ovah!" Mickey exclaimed, pointing his make-shift wooden club at Michelangelo.

"Shut your mouth, Mickey." Albert "The Wind" ordered as he stepped up closer to Mike and Raph. Pointing his gun between the two at Don's back, he looked back at them.

"Give me the doll…or else your friend there will be next."

"Is dis wat dis whole t'ing is about? Some stupid doll? Ain't you boys a little old ta be playin' wit dolls? Or do ya's jist like ta play wit 'em?" Raph questioned, sarcasm dripping from his voice. A growl rumbled from Joey's throat as he took a step closer to them, his heavy chain swinging back and forth in his hands as he readied to attack them again.

"Listen _turtle_…I've had about as much as I'm going to take from you four. Now either hand over the doll or you all get to wind up as dead science experiments."

Standing up behind Mike and Raph, Don turned to face the mobsters. Pulling the doll out from his belt, he held it up for them to see.

"If we give you this doll…you have to let us go, unharmed. You've already injured our brother and if you don't let us leave he could die." He stated solemnly. Glancing between his three henchmen and then back at the turtles, The Wind nodded and lowered his weapon, motioning for the others to do the same.

"You have my word. Now give me the doll." He answered taking one step forward. Hesitating for a moment, Donatello finally nodded and handed the doll over to the mob King.

Taking the doll from him, The Wind smiled a malicious smirk and stepped back behind the protection of his henchmen. In that moment, the brothers knew they had been tricked.

"Boys…dispose of these four." The Wind said, turning to walk off, chuckling under his breath. Laughing evilly to themselves, the three henchmen turned to face the turtles once more.

"With pleasure, Boss." Tony answered, a wicked smirk playing on his lips as he and the others slowly moved in around them. As the much bigger man closed in on the brothers, a switch flipped near-by causing the lights in the warehouse to flicker out.

"Ey! Whad happened ta da lights?!" Mickey exclaimed nervously. Using the darkness to their advantage, the three remaining brothers sprung into action, catching the mobsters off guard and unawares.

When the lights came on again, after a few moments of shouts and cries of surprise, Michelangelo stood against the wall smirking and twirling his nunchakus in triumph. Before him lay three unconscious mobsters while Raph and Don were putting the finishing touches on tying The Wind up.

"Oh my God…Leo!" A voice from behind Mike exclaimed. Turning, Michelangelo watched as Gwen and Angie ran from their hiding places by the circuit breaker and to Leo's side. Casey, who was picking up the mobsters weapons that had been scattered, looked up and over also.

"Uncle Leo!!"

"Whoa…easy dere kiddo. 'E's gonna be fine." Raph said, catching his son about the waist before he could go running for his wounded uncle. Looking at his father in confusion, the young boy looked back at his uncle and watched as he slowly sat up, a hand pressed hard against his shoulder.

"Well he's fine for now but if I don't get him back down to the lair and fixed up he's going to be hurting a whole heck of a lot more." Don answered as he moved to help his disoriented older brother to his feet. "Plus if we don't move we'll have a lot of unexplainable explaining to do."

Hearing the sirens in the distance, the brothers helped the women and Casey out of the warehouse and down the nearest manhole just as the red and blue flashing lights bounced off the walls of the building.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Here it is...the final chapter of Honor Bound. YAY!!! Or...boo? Eh, which ever. Anyways, I know a lot of people were hoping for Raph's story on how he won Angie to be next but ::Blushes:: the disk I had saved all that info on and all my ideas for that one got messed up and won't read anymore. So it's going to take me some time to try and remember all that I had jotted down and such. So...Dark Shadow will in fact be next up. I'm soooooo sorry guys! I really had planned on writing Problem Girl next (trust me, I was royally peeved when that disk got messed up!). Well, hope you all enjoy it and don't hate me too much for taking a micro-break to re-boot my brain before starting in on DS.**

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Chapter Twelve: Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)

"Mama? Is Uncle Leo gonna be ok?" Casey asked quietly as he followed his mother, aunt and uncles back down into their hidden home below the streets. Donatello had used his belt and bandana to form a make-shift tourniquet around his brother's shoulder in hopes of helping to stop the bleeding, and both he and Mike were trying their hardest to carefully help him back to the lair.

Angela glanced down at her son and offered him a small smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course he is. He's got your Uncle Donnie, and Uncle Greggy, and maybe even Ying-Su to help make sure he'll be alright." She said as they followed the others into the lair.

Ying-Su sat on the couch, holding tight to Henry as George sat curled up against her side. Elizabeth was in front of her, happily playing with Tabby and Laney, along with her beloved doll Molly. Ying had returned only moments before from fulfilling her part of the plan and was glad to see her children were still safe and sound in the protection of their underground hide-out. Upon hearing the door open, she lifted her head and felt her heart stop when she saw Don and Mike helping Leo in.

"What happened?!" She exclaimed, jumping from her place on the couch and rushing to their side in hopes of helping also.

"Relax Su…he'll be fine. I'm just gonna need your help getting the bullet out of his shell, and Greggory might need your help sewing him back up." Donnie answered, offering her a knowing smile as they went into his lab.

"I'll call Greg." Called Raph as he headed for their payphone.

As Mike, Don, and Ying got Leo into the lab and onto the bed, Leo slowly opened his eyes fully and let out a low, long sigh. He'd been putting his mind into overload to make sure he stayed conscious long enough for them to get him home and out of harms way. He knew the last thing any of them needed was for him to lose consciousness and have to drag or attempt to carry him the whole way home. Now, in the safety of his home and family, he felt his energy being renewed and the pain in his shoulder dulling.

"What happened back there?" He asked softly, trying to conserve his energy. He knew in order to continue to fight off the pain; he was going to need all the energy he had.

Don smiled as he gently rolled his brother onto his side before looking up at Ying-Su. He could tell she was trying to hide her feelings: her appreciation, her concern, frustration, and even the hint of admiration she was trying to keep even from herself. She had risked a lot by helping them, and she knew that Leo had risked even more to help her—despite the fact she never wanted nor asked for it to begin with.

"Well…before or after you blacked out for a minute or two?" Mike asked, smirking a little as he pulled Casey into the room with them as he started to walk by.

"After. I remember before." Leo answered, chuckling softly.

"Su took that chip we found up to the police, like we planned. And judging by how quickly they got there, I'm guessing they already pretty much knew what was on it." Don started as he washed his hands and pulled out sanitizer for his medical utensils.

"Yeah, then Gwen and Angie and Casey showed up! And after Don tossed them the decoy doll, Gwen and Angie hit the lights and dude you shoulda seen this little guy go to town on those thugs!! Yoda was right, man. 'Size matters not'! Casey kicked mobster butt!" Mikey finished, smiling proudly at his oldest nephew as he squeezed his shoulders and shook him around gently. Casey smiled just as brightly and nodded.

"Yup! It wasn't _that_ hard." He said, shrugging a little as he continued to smile. Leonardo felt a smile of his own creep across his face. Now he knew just how proud of them Splinter was the first time they put their courage up front to win a battle. Nodding slightly, he glanced over at his two younger brothers before looking up at Ying-Su.

"Would you please ask Gwen and Angie to come in here?"

"Sure…" Ying turned and left the room only to return a moment or two later followed by her two new friends. Both Gwen and Angela were smiling slightly as they stepped into the lab, trying hard to avoid looking at the bullet wound in their brother-in-law.

"I wanted to thank you both, and you Casey, for doing what you did. Particularly Casey. What you did was not only courageous, it was also a sign to your father, uncles, and I that you are advancing in your training and that with a little more time you'll soon be able to join us on patrols." He paused as he watched Angela's eye go wide at the thought of her son joining the patrols. It was something _none_ of the mothers wanted to think about, but still something they all knew was inevitable.

Casey's eyes widened in wonder as he pulled from his Uncle Mike's grasp and took a few steps closer.

"Really? I…I'll get to go on patrol with you and Dad?"

"In a few more years, yes. You've still got a lot to learn before then, but you're heading in the right direction. And because of that," Leo glanced at Gwen who smiled and nodded as she pulled a folded piece of fabric from her back pocket before handing it to Leo. "You have earned your very own bandana."

Casey's eyes grew as large as small saucers as he looked at the burgundy fabric his uncle held in his hands. Hesitantly reaching his hand out, Casey ran his fingers over the smooth, cool cloth.

"Burgundy is a color which means many things, but the two most important ones are that of leadership and maturity. And tonight you have proven you are on the track to both of those traits. I know I speak for the rest of the family when I say, I'm very proud of you." Leo stated as he carefully sat up to tie the bandana around his nephew's forehead.

Ying watched in wonder as the young boys eyes filled with a mixture of excitement and honor. She knew how important it was to hear a family member say they were proud of what they had been doing or had done, and to hear a family member who was raised in traditional Japanese ways say they were proud of them made it all the more special and important. She watched as Casey smiled proudly and his young shoulders squared slightly as he stood up straighter, sharing a quiet moment with his beloved uncle before turning and running from the room to show his bandana off to the other younger children.

Sighing heavily, Leo leaned back down on the table and waited as Donatello started his careful pursuit of extracting the bullet. Ying-Su watched as blood continued to trickle down Leo's shoulder and arm. Stepping up next to him, she pulled a cloth from Don's medical supply box and pressed it firmly but gently on the wound.

"I want to thank you, Leonardo, for everything. For helping my children and I, even though I was so persistent in trying to shove you off. If it weren't for you and your family, mine probably wouldn't still be here today. So, thank you." She said softly, smiling down at him sweetly.

Leo lifted his eyes and felt them lock onto hers. A thank you from her was the last thing he had expected to hear. He had, after all, basically kidnapped them and forced them to stay hidden underground—and in a lair surrounded by the filthy sewers of New York City at that. Gulping some, he quickly broke the stare and looked down at the floor for a moment in order to help regain his cool demeanor. Looking up at her once more, he prayed his eyes wouldn't betray him as he opened his mouth to speak.

"No need to thank me. I was just honoring the promise I made to Edward. He was a good friend; and a person who was killed needlessly. It was the least I could do to make up for not holding up my original promise of making sure he'd be protected until the hearing. But now that The Wind and his men are in police custody, you and your children are free to go back to your home. I'll have Mikey lead you topside and shadow you to make sure you get home alright. I'll also make sure that Raph keeps an eye on your home until my shoulder heals and I'm able to take over for awhile." He answered calmly, already starting to rebuild the part of the wall she had started to take down just by being there. He didn't want to be sad or upset at the thought of her leaving, but part of him screamed for her to stay.

Standing behind his brother, Don lifted his head to look between the two. He had almost removed the bullet from Leo's shell, but wanted to spare the glance to see how Ying-Su would react to his insistence she return topside. He watched as a small smile began creeping across Ying's face and a rather mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"You honestly think you are going to just save my life and the lives of my children and then just walk out of them? What kind of woman do you think I am? I have honor to you know. And I'm now bound to you for saving our lives. I'm not going anywhere." Ying stated, allowing her smile to grow as the look of disbelief appeared in Leo's cool brown eyes.

"But…you don't have to stay. I fulfilled my promise. You're safe, you can go home."

"Don't disgrace me by telling me I can't fulfill this bound of honor to you! Besides," she shrugged as she looked up at Don and then back down into Leo's eyes. "I've kinda gotten used to you and your family. It's nice to be apart of such a large and protective family. And also, you are going to need someone to help you take care of that bullet wound and make sure you don't over do anything. I don't really think you're brothers are skilled nurses or able to tell you to take it easy. So, you are certainly stuck with me for awhile."

Donnie suppressed a chuckle as he watched Leo stare at Ying-Su in surprise and disbelief, his mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. He could tell his fearless brother was terrified as he stared up into the eyes of a woman who only days before had assaulted him with couch pillows and had sworn he was the one behind the murder of her husband. Stammering to find words, Leo blinked in sheer panic as Ying-Su smiled brighter and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Welcome to the family."

Fin.


End file.
